Archeparchy Delegation Visits St. Sophia Cathedral and Patriarch Slipyj Museum in Rome

May 14, 2025

On Tuesday, May 13, a delegation from the Archeparchy visited Saint Sophia Cathedral in Rome, as well as the Museum of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, located in the building of the Saint Sophia Association and the Ukrainian Catholic University of Pope Clement.

Fr. Andriy Soletskyy, head of the Secretariat of the Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych in Rome, gave a brief account of the cathedral's history. The church was built by the former Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Josyf Slipyj, who arrived in Rome in 1963 after spending 18 years imprisoned by Soviet authorities. He chose to model Santa Sophia in Rome after the historic cathedral of the same name in Kyiv.

Following their visit to the church and its crypt, the Archeparchy delegation toured the museum dedicated to Patriarch Slipyj. The museum is located in the rooms that once served as his apartment, where he spent his final years alongside Ukrainian Catholic University students in Rome, on Via Boccea. The museum houses many significant artifacts related to the life and work of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.