LEPANTO – Plan of deployment of the Christian fleet for the Battle of L. Pen drawing – Vatican Library, Borghese collection, 4th series, 228 f. 42.
In the 17th century L. became almost the patrimony of the Szeptyckyj family, from which three excellent bishops emerged. After L. became Austrian territory following the first partition of Poland (1773) and the entire Uniate metropolitan see disappeared, Pope Pius VII established in 1807 the new metropolitan see of L.-Halisch with its seat at L. Its incumbent thus became the head of all cultural and religious life of the Ukrainians residing in Austria. Two of them were created cardinals: Micbat Lerwicki (d. 1858) and Sylwester Sembratowicz (d. 1898); great renown was also acquired by Andrea Szeptyckyj (d. 1944). His successor Giuseppe Slipyj was condemned in 1946 to eight years of forced labor by the Soviets, who had become masters of the territory. At the same time, the communist authorities brutally suppressed by force the union of Catholics with the Holy See and installed in the see a dissident bishop under obedience to the patriarchate of Moscow.