26 Facts About Vladimir Ghika

Vladimir Ghika was a Romanian diplomat and essayist who, after his conversion from Romanian Orthodoxy became a priest of the Catholic Church.

Vladimir Ghika was a member of the princely Ghica family, which ruled Moldavia and Wallachia at various times from the 17th to the 19th century.

Vladimir Ghika died in prison in May 1954 after his arrest by the Communist regime of Romania.

Vladimir Ghika was born on Christmas Day of 1873 in Constantinople.

Vladimir Ghika's father was Ioan Grigore Ghica, diplomat, minister plenipotentiary in Turkey; his mother Alexandrina was born Moret de Blaremberg in a Flemish-Russian family; he had four brothers and a sister: Gregory, Alexander, George and Ella, and Dimitrie I Ghika.

Vladimir Ghika was the grandson of the last Prince sovereign of Moldavia, Prince Gregory V Ghika, who ruled from 1849 to 1856.

Vladimir Ghika returned to Romania due to an attack of angina pectoris and continued his studies in Romania.

Vladimir Ghika was an alumnus of the College of St Thomas, the future Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas Angelicum, in Rome.

At the Angelicum, Vladimir Ghika completed a licentiate in Philosophy and a Doctorate in Theology in 1905.

Vladimir Ghika wanted to become a priest or monk, but Pius X advised him to give up the idea, at least for a while, and to dedicate himself to secular apostolate instead.

Vladimir Ghika became one of the pioneers of the lay apostolate.

Vladimir Ghika set the foundation for a great hospital and sanatorium named after Vincent de Paul, founded the first free hospital in Romania and the first ambulance, thereby becoming founder of the first Catholic charity work in Romania.

Vladimir Ghika was dedicated to patient care while participating in health services in the Balkan War in 1913, without the fear of cholera in Zimnicea.

On 7 October 1923, Vladimir Ghika was ordained a priest in Paris by Cardinal Dubois, Archbishop of the city.

Vladimir Ghika served as a priest in France until 1939.

Shortly after Vladimir Ghika was ordained, the Holy See authorized him to celebrate the Byzantine Rite.

On 13 May 1931, the Pope appointed Vladimir Ghika to be an Apostolic Protonotary, but he was reluctant to accept it.

Vladimir Ghika worked worldwide, including Bucharest, Rome, Paris, Congo, Tokyo, Sydney, and Buenos Aires, among others.

Vladimir Ghika refused to leave Romania at that time so that he could be with the poor and sick, and he did so even when the Allies began bombing Bucharest, where he lived.

Vladimir Ghika was arrested on 18 November 1952, because of his support for the Catholic Church in communion with Rome and his opposition to the schismatic church that the regime was creating.

Vladimir Ghika was charged for "high treason" and threatened, beaten, tortured and processed.

Vladimir Ghika was proposed for beatification by the Archdiocese of Bucharest, based on a dossier with his biography submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

On 27 March 2013, Pope Francis declared Vladimir Ghika to be a martyr.

Vladimir Ghika wrote only because he was forced by circumstances and needs.

Vladimir Ghika did research work in the Vatican archives, publishing some of the results in the Revue Catolique.

Vladimir Ghika wrote magazine articles in Literary Talk, La Revue Hebdomadaire, Les Etudes, Le Correspondant, La Revue des Jeunes, and La Documentation Catholique.