Chekhivskyi was also among the founders of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the brother of conductor and singer Oleksa Chupryna-Chekhivskyi [uk].

Chekhivskyi was born on 19 July 1876, to the family of a clergyman in the village of Horokhuvatka [uk], in the Kievsky Uyezd of Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (today in Obukhiv Raion).

Because of his activity and interest in Ukrainian nationalism at the seminaries, Chekhivskyi was dismissed and transferred to the Cherkasy Oblast.

From June 1917 he was a deputy (glasny) in the Odesa city duma from the Ukrainian parties, and headed the Kherson Governorate Council of united public organization.

In the beginning of 1918 he became a member of Central Committee of the USDLP and from April 1918 — appointed as director of confessions as a minister in government of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

After failing to reach an agreement with Bolsheviks, successful offensive of the Red Army and willingness of the Ukrainian leadership to negotiate with French led to resignation of Chekhivskyi in February 1919.

After the occupation by the Red Army Chekhivskyi stayed in Ukraine and in 1920 joined the Ukrainian Communist Party.

During that time Chekhivsky also worked in the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences at its history-philology department, was a professor of medical and polytechnic institutes in Kiev, lectured at social-economical courses.

On 29 July 1929, Chekhivskyi was arrested in connection with the Union for the Freedom of Ukraine process and on 19 April 1930, sentenced to death through shooting, changed to 10 years of imprisonment.