Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev

His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr (in the world Viktor Sabodan, and also known as Metropolitan Vladimir) is the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine and Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He was born in the Khmelnytskyi region of Ukraine on November 23 (November 10 in the Old Calendar), 1935, to a family of peasants. He currently lives in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and is the Lavra's Archimandrite.
==Seminary==
After the young Viktor Sabodan graduated from secondary school in Eastern Ukraine, he then proceeded straight to the Odessa Theological Seminary. Following that, Viktor went onto the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and graduated from the Academy with the degree of "Candidate of Theology." On June 14, 1962 he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and the following day to the Holy Priesthood. In August of that year he was tonsured a monk, taking the name Volodymyr (Vladimir) in honour of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, Baptiser of Rus' (modern day Ukraine and Russia).
In 1962 he was sent to teach at the Odessa Theological Seminary, and in 1965 he completed the post-graduate course at the Moscow Theological Academy. Following his graduation he was appointed Rector of the Odessa Theological Seminary and elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
==Episcopacy==
On July 9, 1966 Archimandrite Vladimir was consecrated to the episcopacy with the title of Bishop of Zvenigirod by His Eminence Metropolitan Krutitski and Kolomenski Pimen, who later became the patriarch.
In 1992, after Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko) of Kiev was defrocked, the Kharkiv Sobor elected Volodymyr as Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine and as primate of the newly minted, autonomous church.
==Source==
*Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kiev
*Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kiev (UOC official site)
Category:Bishops
Category:St. Petersburg Academy Graduates