Grgo Ilić

Grgo Ilić, also Grgo Ilijić (Gregorius; Higlich, Hilijić-Ilijić, Hilijić-Varešanin, Hiljich de Vares, Varešanin, Ilijić-Varešanin, Zečević), also known as fra Grgo Varešanin (18 October 1736 – 1 March 1813), was Bosnian catholic bishop and Franciscan friar. He was born in Vareš, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. He served as a provincial of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia for two terms.and as the Apostolic Vicar of Bosnia for life.

Biography Grgo Ilić was born in Vareš, Ottoman Empire (central part of modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina). In 1752 he entered the seminary at the Franciscan friary, Kraljeva Sutjeska, and then went to study philosophy and theology in Italy. He returned to Kraljeva Sutjeska to teach novice friars, and became friary guardian. He also served as parish priest in several (parishes) until 1774. He served as a provincial of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia for two terms. Pope Pius VI appointed Ilić to the position of provincial first in 1783, a position he held only for one year from opposition within the provincial electoral plenary council, and then in 1793 for a second term, this time for life. In 1796, Ilijić was named titular bishop of Ruspe and coadjutor apostolic vicar to Augustin Botoš-Okić.

On January 3, 1813, at the age of 76, Fra Grgo died in his native Bosnia, in Kraljeva Sutjeska, where he lies buried in Friary church, not far from the town of his birth, Vareš.