Serbian Orthodox Church
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| Serbian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
| Language | Church Slavonic and Serbian |
| Headquarters | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Territory | Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia (disputed) |
| Possessions | United States, Canada, Europe, Australia |
| Founder | Apostle Andrew, St. Sava I |
| Independence | 1219 (lost in 1459), again in 1832 |
| Recognition | 1219 by Constantinople, again in 1879 |
| Official website | Church of Serbia |
The Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) (Serbian: Српска Православна Црква/Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva; СПЦ/SPC) or the Church of Serbia is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia. It exercises jurisdiction over Orthodox Christians in Serbia and surrounding Slavic and other lands, as well as exarchates and patriarchal representation churches around the world. The Patriarch of Serbia serves as first among equals in his church; the current patriarch is His Holiness Pavle.
The Serb Patriarch's full title is "Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Patriarch of the Serbs."
History
The Serbian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, member of the Orthodox communion, located primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia. Since many Serbs have emigrated to foreign countries, there are now Serbian Orthodox communities worldwide.
Origins
The Serbs were converted to Christianity not long after their arrival in the Balkans, before the Great Schism split the Christian Church into rival Latin-speaking (Roman Catholic) and Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Churches. During the early Middle Ages, the religious allegiance of the Serbs was divided between the two churches.
The various Serbian principalities were united ecclesiastically in the early 13th century by Saint Sava, the son of the Serbian ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state Stefan Nemanja and brother of Stefan Prvovencani, the first Serbian king. Sava persuaded the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to establish the Church in Serbia as an autocephalous body, with Sava himself as its archbishop, consecrated in 1219.
The status of the Serbian Orthodox Church grew along with the growth in size and prestige of the medieval kingdom of Serbia. When King Stefan Dušan assumed the imperial title of tsar in 1346, the Archbishopric of Pec was correspondingly raised to the rank of Patriarchate. In the century that followed, the Serbian Church achieved its greatest power and prestige.
Ottoman rule
In 1459, the Ottoman Empire conquered Serbia and made much of the former kingdom a pashaluk (province) under the rule of a Turkish governor. Although the Empire was run on Islamic principles, Christians were treated fairly tolerantly under the millet system and not subjected to Muslim faith or law. Although many Serbs did convert to Islam, most continued their adherence to the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The Church itself continued in existence throughout the Ottoman period, though not without some disruption. After the death of Patriarch Arsenios II in 1463 a successor was not elected. The Patriarchate was thus de facto abolished, and the Serbian Church passed under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Serbian Patriarchate was restored in 1557 by the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Macarios, brother of the famous Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic, was elected Patriarch in Peć.
The restoration of the Patriarchate was of great importance for the Serbs because it helped the spiritual unification of all Serbs in the Turkish Empire. After consequent Serbian uprisals against the Turkish occupators in which the Church had a leading role, the Turks abolished the Patriarchate once again in 1766. The Church remained once more under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constintinople. This period of so called "Phanariots" was a period of great spiritual decline because the Greek bishops had very little understanding for their Serbian flock.
During this period, many Christians across the Balkans converted to Islam to avoid severe taxes imposed by the Turks in retaliation for uprisings and continued resistance. Many Serbs migrated with their hierarchs to Habsburg Monarchy where they had been granted autonomy. The seat of the archbishops was moved from Peć to Karlovci. The new Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci became a patriarchate in 1848.
The church's close association with Serbian resistance to Ottoman rule led to Serbian Orthodoxy becoming inextricably linked with Serbian national identity and the new Serbian monarchy that emerged from 1815 onwards. The Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia finally regained its independence and became autocephalous in 1879, the year after the recognition by the Great Powers of Serbia as an independent state. This church was known as the Metropolitanate of Belgrade, thus in the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, two separate Serbian Orthodox churches existed - the Patriarchate of Karlovci in the Habsburg Monarchy and the Metropolitanate of Belgrade in the Kingdom of Serbia.
Serbia and Yugoslavia
After World War I all the Orthodox Serbs were united under one ecclesiastical authority, and two Serbian churches were united into the single Patriarchate of Serbia in 1920 with the election of Patriarch Dimitry. It gained great political and social influence in the inter-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, during which time it successfully campaigned against the Yugoslav government's intentions of signing a concordat with the Vatican.
During the Second World War the Serbian Orthodox Church suffered severely from persecutions by the occupying powers and the rabidly anti-Serbian Ustaše regime of Croatia, which sought to create a "Croatian Orthodox Church" which Orthodox Serbs were forced to join. Several hundred thousand Serbs were killed during the war; bishops and priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church were singled out for persecution, and many Orthodox churches were damaged or destroyed.
After the war the Church was suppressed by the Communist government of Josip Broz Tito, which viewed it with suspicion due to the Church's links with the exiled Serbian monarchy and the nationalist Chetnik movement. Along with other ecclesiastical institutions of all denominations, the Church was subject to strict controls by the Yugoslav state, which prohibited the teaching of religion in schools, confiscated Church property and discouraged religious activity among the population.
The gradual demise of Yugoslav communism and the rise of rival nationalist movements during the 1980s also led to a marked religious revival throughout Yugoslavia, not least in Serbia. The Serbian Patriarch, Pavle, supported the opposition to Slobodan Milošević in the 1990s.
The Macedonian Orthodox Church was created by the Yugoslav authorities in 1967, effectively as an offshoot of the Serbian Orthodox Church in what was then the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, as part of the Yugoslav drive to build up a Macedonian national identity. This was strongly resisted by the Serbian Church, which does not recognise the independence of its Macedonian counterpart. Campaigns for an independent Montenegrin Orthodox Church have also gained ground in recent years.
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav wars gravely impacted several branches of the Serb Orthodox Church.
Many churches in Croatia were damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war in that country in 1991. The bishops and priests and most faithful of the eparchies of Zagreb, of Karlovac, of Slavonia and of Dalmatia became refugees. The latter three were almost completely abandoned after the exodus of the Serbs from Croatia in 1995. The eparchy of Dalmatia also had its see temporarily moved to Knin after Republic of Serbian Krajina was established. The eparchy of Slavonia had its see moved from Pakrac to Daruvar. After the Operation Storm, two monasteries were particularly damaged:
- Monastery Krupa was burned down by unknown Croatian assailants. It is located at the southern slopes of Velebit, halfway between Obrovac and Knin. It was built in 1317 at the time of the Serbian King Stefan Milutin.
- Monastery Krka was looted to an extent. It is located in the Krka National Park by the river Krka. It was built in 1346 by Tzar Dušan's sister Jelena Nemanjić, who had been married to Mladen II Šubić, at the time the ban of Croatia.
The eparchies of Bihać-Petrovac, Dabar-Bosnia and Zvornik-Tuzla were also dislocated due to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The eparchy see of Dabar-Bosnia was temporarily moved to Sokolac, and the see of Zvornik-Tuzla to Bijeljina. Over a hundred Church-owned objects in the Zvornik-Tuzla eparchy were destroyed or damaged during the war. Many monasteries and churches in the Zahumlje eparchy were also destroyed. Numerous faithful from these eparchies also became refugees.
By 1998 the situation had stabilized in both countries. Most of the property of the Serb Orthodox Church was again put in normal use, the bishops and priests returned, and that which was destroyed, damaged or vandalized was restored. The process of rebuilding several churches is still under way, notably the cathedral of the Eparchy of Upper Karlovac in Karlovac. The return of the SOC faithful also started, but they are not nearly close to their pre-war numbers, as of 2004. Many Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were damaged or destroyed during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.
Structure
| Diocese | See | Country | Cathedral | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dabar-Bosnia (Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia) |
Sarajevo | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Nativity of the Mother of God Cathedral | 1219 |
| Montenegro and the Littoral (Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral) |
Cetinje | Montenegro | Ostrog Monastery | 1219 |
| Midwestern America (Metropolitan of Midwestern America) |
Chicago | United States | St. Sava Monastery | 1920 |
| Zagreb and Ljubljana (Metropolitan of Zagreb, Ljubljana and All Italy) |
Zagreb | Croatia, Slovenia and all of Italy | ||
| New Gračanica, U.S. and Canada (Bishop of U.S. and Canada) |
Third Lake, IL | United States and Canada | Most Holy Mother of God | 1963 |
| Diocese | See | Country | Cathedral | Founded |
| Australia and New Zealand (Bishop of Australia and New Zealand) |
Hall, Australia | Australia and Oceania | New Kalenic Monastery | |
| Banat (Bishop of Banat) |
Vršac | Serbia | ||
| Bačka (Bishop of Bačka) |
Novi Sad | Serbia | ||
| Branicevo (Bishop of Branicevo) |
Požarevac | Serbia | ||
| Budimlje and Nikšic (Bishop of Budimlje and Nikšic) |
Berane | Montenegro | Ðurdevi Stupovi | |
| Banja Luka (Bishop of Banja Luka) |
Banja Luka | Bosnia and Herzegovina | The Church of Holy Trinity | |
| Bihac and Petrovac (Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac) |
Bosanksi Petrovac | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Britain and Scandinavia (Bishop of Britain and Scandinavia) |
Stockholm | Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark | ||
| Buda (Budim) (Bishop of Buda) |
Sentandreja | Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia | ||
| Canada (Bishop of Canada) |
Hamilton, ON | Canada | St. Nicholas Cathedral | |
| Central Europe (Bishop of Central Europe) |
Himmelstühr | Germany, Austria, and Switzerland | Himmelstühr monastery | |
| Dalmatia (Bishop of Dalmatia) |
Šibenik | Croatia | ||
| Eastern America (Bishop of Eastern America) |
Pittsburgh, PA | United States | Holy Trinity Cathedral | |
| Mileševa (Bishop of Mileševa) |
Mileševa | Serbia | Mileševa monastery | |
| Niš (Bishop of Niš) |
Niš | Serbia | ||
| Osjecko polje and Baranja (Bishop of Osjecko polje and Baranja) |
Dalj | Croatia | ||
| Ras and Prizren (Bishop of Ras and Prizren) |
Prizren | Serbia (Kosovo province) | ||
| Šabac (Bishop of Šabac) |
Šabac | Serbia | ||
| Slavonia (Bishop of Slavonia) |
Daruvar | Croatia | ||
| Srem (Bishop of Srem) |
Sremski Karlovci | Serbia | ||
| Šumadija (Bishop of Šumadija) |
Kragujevac | Serbia | ||
| Timişoara (Bishop of Timişoara) |
Timişoara | Romania | ||
| Timok (Bishop of Timok) |
Zajecar | Serbia | ||
| Upper Karlovac (Bishop of upper Karlovac) |
Karlovac | Croatia | ||
| Valjevo (Bishop of Valjevo) |
Valjevo | Serbia | 2006 | |
| Vranje (Bishop of Vranje) |
Vranje | Serbia | ||
| Western America (Bishop of Western America) |
Alhambra, CA | United States | St. Stephen Cathedral | |
| Western Europe (Bishop of Western Europe) |
Paris | France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain | ||
| Zahumlje and Herzegovina (Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina) |
Trebinje | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Monastery Tvrdoš | |
| Žiča (Bishop of Žiča) |
Kraljevo | Serbia | Monastery Žiča | |
| Zvornik and Tuzla (Bishop of Zvornik and Tuzla) |
Tuzla | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Autonomous Archdiocese | See | Country | Cathedral | Founded |
| Ohrid (Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje) |
Ohrid | Republic of Macedonia | 1064 |
Dioceses are further divided into episcopal deaneries, each consisting of several church congregations and parishes. Church congregations consist of one or more parishes. A parish is the smallest Church unit - a communion of Orthodox faithful congregating at the Holy Eucharist with the parish priest at their head.
Holy Assembly of Bishops
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- Metropolitan of Zagreb , Ljubljana and all of Italy JOVAN
- Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coastlands AMPHILOHIJE
- Metropolitan of Midwestern America CHRISTOPHER
- Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosna NIKOLAJ
- Bishop of Sabac-Valjevo LAVRENTIJE
- Bishop of Nis IRINEJ
- Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJE
- Bishop of Syrmia VASILIJE
- Bishop of Banja Luka JEFREM
- Bishop of Budim LUKIJAN
- Bishop of Canada GEORGIJE
- Bishop of Banat NIKANOR
- Bishop for America and Canada (New Gracanica Metropolitanate) LONGIN
- Bishop of Eastern America MITROPHAN
- Bishop of Zica CHRYSOSTOM
- Bishop of Backa IRINEJ
- Bishop of Great Britain and Scandinavia DOSITEJ
- Bishop of Ras and Prizren ARTEMIJE
- Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina ATANASIJE
- Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac CHRYSOSTOM
- Bishop of Osijek and Baranja LUKIJAN
- Bishop of Central Europe CONSTANTINE
- Bishop of Western Europe LUKA
- Bishop of Timok JUSTIN
- Bishop of Vranje PAHOMIJE
- Bishop of Sumadija JOVAN
- Bishop of Slavonia SAVA
- Bishop of Branicevo IGNATIJE
- Bishop of Milesevo FILARET
- Bishop of Dalmatia FOTIJE
- Bishop of Budimlje and Niksic JOANIKIJE
- Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina GRIGORIJE
- Bishop of Australia and New Zealand MILUTIN
- Bishop of Gornji Karlovci GERASIM
- Vicar Bishop of Hvostno ATANASIJE
- Vicar Bishop of Jegar PORFIRIJE
- Vicar Bishop of Lipljan TEODOSIJE
- Vicar Bishop of Dioclea JOVAN
- Vicar Bishop of Hum MAKSIM
The Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid
- Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje JOVAN
- Bishop of Polos and Kumanovo JOAKIM
- Bishop of Dremvica and Bitola MARKO
Architecture of Churches
Wooden Church
The original style of Serbian Orthodox Church was the church built out of wood. This church built in Drven Grad, which means "Wood City", is a classic example of a wooden church. As the church is made purely of wood. These churches were typically found in poorer villages where it was too expensive to build a church out of stone.
Serbo-Byzantine Style
This is the typical style of churches built. This style of church architecture was developed in the late 13th Century combining Byzantine and Raskan influences to form a new church style.
By the end of 13th and in the first half of 14th century the Serbian state enlarged over Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly up to the Aegean Sea. On these new territories Serbian art was even more influenced by the Byzantine art tradition.
Gracanica, which was entirely rebuilt by King Milutin in 1321, is the most beautiful monument of Serbian architecture from the 14th century. The church of this monastery is an example of a construction that achieved the highest degree of architecture not only in the Byzantine form but in the creation of an original and freestyle exceeding its models. The wall creation in steps is one of the basic characteristics of this temple. The Kings's Church in Studenica,
characterized as an ideal church, was built in the first decades of the 14th century.
By the end of the third decade of the 14th century the Pec Patriarchate had finally been shaped. The exterior of the Patriarchate is a vision of shapes characteristic of contemporary Serbian architecture. On the major part of the outer walls paint decoration was used instead of stone relief and brick and stone decoration.
A typical Serbo-Byzantine church has a rectangular foundation, with a major dome in the center with smaller domes around the center one. The inside of the church is covered with frescos that illustrate various biblical stories and portrays Serbian saints.
Western Influences
During the 17th Century many of the Serbian Orthodox Churches that were built in Belgrade took all the characteristics of German baroque protestant (Lutheran) churches built in the Austrian occupied regions where Serbs lived. The churches usually had a two-storied bell tower, and a single naved building with the iconostasis inside the church covered with Renaissance-style paintings instead of the typical Orthodox frescos. These churches can be found in Belgrade, which was occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the 17th to the 20th century.
Icons
Icons are replete with symbolism meant to convey far more meaning than simply the identity of the person depicted, and it is for this reason that Orthodox iconography has become an exacting science of copying older icons rather than an opportunity for artistic expression. The Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by Luke the Evangelist. Orthodox regard their depiction of Christ as accurate, with Christ having brown semi-curly hair, brown eyes, and Semitic features (the Virgin Mary being similar). The personal, idiosyncratic and creative traditions of Western European religious art are largely lacking in Orthodox iconography before the 17th century, when Russian icon painting was strongly influenced by religious paintings and engravings from both Protestant and Catholic Europe. Greek icon painting also began to take on a strong romantic western influence for a period and the difference between some Orthodox icons and western religious art began to vanish. More recently there has been a strong trend of returning to the more traditional and symbolic representations.
Icons are not considered by the Orthodox to be "graven images" or idols, and prohibitions against three-dimensional statuary are still in place. Biblical prohibitions against material depictions have been altered by Christ (as God) taking on material form. Also, it is not the wood or paint that are venerated, but rather God is through the individual (or event) portrayed.
Large icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely. Orthodox homes often likewise have icons hanging on the wall, usually together on an eastern facing wall, and in a central location where the family can pray together.
Our Lady of St Theodore (10th century), the protectress of Kostroma, following the same Byzantine "Tender Mercy" typeIcons are often illuminated with a candle or oil lamp. (Beeswax for candles and olive oil for lamps are preferred because they are natural and burn cleanly.) Besides the practical purpose of making icons visible in an otherwise dark church, both candles and oil lamps symbolize the Light of the World which is Christ.
Tales of miraculous icons that moved, spoke, cried, bled, or gushed fragrant myrrh are not uncommon, though it has always been considered that the message of such an event was for the immediate faithful involved and therefore does not usually attract crowds. Some miraculous icons whose reputations span long periods of time nevertheless become objects of pilgrimage along with the places where they are kept.
See also
List of Serb Orthodox monasteries
Autocephalous Orthodox Churches
- Ecumenical Patriarchate
- Patriarchate of Alexandria
- Patriarchate of Antioch
- Patriarchate of Jerusalem
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Serbian Orthodox Church
- Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
- Romanian Orthodox Church
- Bulgarian Orthodox Church
- Orthodox Church of Cyprus
- Church of Greece
- Polish Orthodox Church
- Albanian Orthodox Church
- Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church
- Orthodox Church in America (autocephaly not universally recognized)
References
- Diocese of Raška and Prizren (Kosovo)
- Conflict in the Former Yugoslavia: An Encyclopedia, John B. Allcock et al, 1998
- Encyclopædia Britannica, 2005
- Serbia Info
- Churches of Serbia
External links
- Official website (in Serbian and English)
- Office of the External Affairs of the SOC in the US and Canada
- List of Serb Orthodox shrines abroad
- www.svetosavlje.org "Saint Savahood" (in Serbian)
Dioceses
- Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia
- Metropolitanate of Montenegro and Littoral
- Metropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana
- Diocese of Australia and New Zealand
- Diocese of Backa
- Diocese of Banja Luka
- Diocese of Bihac and Petrovac
- Diocese of Branicevo
- Diocese of Budimlje and Niksic
- Diocese of Canada
- Diocese of Central Europe (in German and Serbian)
- Diocese of Dalmatia
- Diocese of Eastern America
- Diocese of Nis
- Diocese of Raška and Prizren (Kosovo)
- Diocese of Srem
- Diocese of Sumadija
- Diocese of Temisvar
- Diocese of Timok
- Diocese of Western America
- Diocese of Western Europe
- Serbian Orthodox Church in United States of America and Canada
- THE ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF OCHRID
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