Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kiev

His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Volodymyr, secular name Viktor Markianovich Sabodan) 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 Pechery 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, later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

In 1992, after Metropolitan Filaret (Denysenko) of Kiev was defrocked, the Kharkiv Sobor elected Vladimir 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)

Succession box: Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kiev
Preceded by: Vladimir (Kotlyarov)	Bishop of Zvenigorod, Vicar of the Diocese of Moscow July 9, 1966 - November 28, 1968	Succeeded by: Anatoly (Kuznetsov)
Preceded by: Theodosius (Dykun)	Bishop of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, Vicar of the Diocese of Kyiv November 28, 1968 - March 20, 1969	Succeeded by: Sawa (Babinets)
Preceded by: Nestor (Tugay)	Bishop of Chernigov and Nizhyn March 20, 1969 - April 18, 1973	Succeeded by: Anthony (Vakarik)
Preceded by: Philaret (Vakhromeyev)	Bishop of Dmitrov, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy April 18, 1973 - July 16, 1982	Succeeded by: Alexander (Timofeev)
Preceded by: Joasaph (Ovsyannikov)	Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk July 16, 1982 - May 27, 1992	Succeeded by: Vladimir (Kotlyarov)
Preceded by: Sergei (Petrov)	7th Administrative Director of the Moscow Patriarchate December 30, 1987 - July 17, 1996	Succeeded by: Sergei (Fomin)
Preceded by: Filaret (Denysenko)	Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine May 27, 1992 - Present	Succeeded by: —

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