Maxim Sandovich | |
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Born | 1 February 1888, Zdynia, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary |
Died | 6 August 1914 (aged 26), Gorlice, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary |
Martyred by | Dietrich from Linz, for the Austro-Hungarian Empire |
Means of martyrdom | firing squad |
Venerated in | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Canonized | September 6, 1994, Gorlice, by Polish Orthodox Church |
Major shrine | New Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Gorlice |
Feast | September 6 (Old Calendar) |
Patronage | Lemkos |
Maxim Timofeyevich Sandovich (Russian: Максим Тимофеевич Сандович, Polish: Maksym Sandowicz; 1 February 1888 – 6 August 1914) is a New Martyr and Orthodox saint.[1][2] known as saint hieromartyr Maxim of Gorlice (Polish: Maksym Gorlicki, Russian: Максим Горлицкий, Rusyn: Максим Горлицкый). He is the protomartyr of the Lemko people.
He was trained as an Eastern Orthodox priest, and was executed by the officially Catholic state of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a Russophile after his conversion to the Orthodox Church. After his execution, his wife was imprisoned in Talerhof, where his son, also named Maxim Sandovich, was born.[3]
The memory of the Saint Maxim Sandovich and his spiritual heritage continues to be an important identification and value guide for the faithful of the Polish Orthodox Church, first of all for the Lemkos, reminding them of their spiritual roots, strengthening them in faith and inspiring them to work revealing the historical past of the Carpathian Ruthenians.[4]