Blessed Kamen Vitchev
Blessed Kamen Vitchev (Bulgarian: Kamen Vichev; born May 23, 1893 AD in Srem, near Yambol, Bulgaria; died November 11, 1952 AD in Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian Catholic priest of the Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists), a scholar and educator, who was executed under the communist regime of Bulgaria. He is honored as one of the three Bulgarian Martyrs. His feast day is November 11.
A convert-descended Bulgarian who became a leading Assumptionist teacher and biblical scholar, Kamen Vitchev was arrested during the communist campaign against the Catholic Church, subjected to a show trial, and shot together with his fellow Assumptionists Pavel Djidjov and Josaphat Chichkov. He was beatified in 2002.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Kamen Vitchev
| Blessed Kamen Vitchev | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 11 |
| Profession | Priest; Assumptionist (Augustinians of the Assumption); scholar and educator |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists); Bulgarian Martyrs |
| Patronage | Bulgaria; persecuted Christians; those killed under totalitarian regimes; teachers |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom; priestly cassock; Assumptionist habit; book |
| Birthplace | Srem, near Yambol, Bulgaria |
| Death Place | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; shot under the communist regime of Bulgaria during the persecution of the Catholic Church; Assumptionist priest condemned in a show trial |
| Primary Shrine | Bulgaria |
Biography
Kamen Vitchev was born on May 23, 1893, at Srem, near Yambol in Bulgaria, of a family of the Bulgarian Byzantine-rite Catholic tradition. He entered the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption (the Assumptionists), a French religious order active in the Christian East, and was ordained a priest. A gifted scholar, he studied theology and Scripture and became a respected teacher and formator, serving in the Assumptionist schools that educated Bulgarian youth.
After the Second World War, the communist regime that took power in Bulgaria set out to destroy the Catholic Church, which it treated as a hostile foreign influence. In the early 1950s bishops, priests, and religious were arrested, and the state staged trials to crush the Church.
Vitchev was arrested and, with other Catholic clergy, subjected to a show trial in Sofia on fabricated charges of espionage and conspiracy. Condemned to death, he was shot on the night of November 11, 1952, together with his fellow Assumptionists Pavel Djidjov and Josaphat Chichkov; the bishop Eugene Bossilkov had been executed shortly before. These are venerated as the Bulgarian Martyrs.
Kamen Vitchev was beatified on May 26, 2002, by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Plovdiv, together with his two Assumptionist companions. Their feast is kept on November 11.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: None
Death location: None
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Kamen Vitchev have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Feast day
November 11
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.