Petar Parchevich

Petar Parchevich
A purple shield with two standing goats and a crimson band with three six-pointed stars in the middle surrounded by gold, white and purple decorative elements and topped by a gold lion rampant
Ecclesiastical coat of arms of Petar Parchevich
Bornc. 1612
Died23 July 1674
Occupation(s)Roman Catholic archbishop, diplomat, scholar

Petar Parchevich (Bulgarian: Петър Парчевич [ˈpɛtɐr ˈpart͡ʃɛvit͡ʃ]; Croatian: Petar Parčević) or Petar Mihaylov Parchev (Петър Михайлов Парчев; c. 1612 – 23 July 1674) was a Bulgarian Roman Catholic archbishop, diplomat, scholar, baron of Austria and one of the architects behind the anti-Ottoman Chiprovtsi Uprising.

A native of Chiprovtsi and one of Bulgaria's most educated people of the 17th century, Parchevich was among the leaders of the Bulgarian Roman Catholics. His numerous diplomatic visits to the royal courts of Europe were mostly in an attempt to garner support for an anti-Ottoman uprising in Bulgaria, which he did not live to witness. Nevertheless, his efforts in defending Christianity earned him a noble title from the Austrian emperors, and he took up several important positions within the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical hierarchy.