Serbian Orthodox Church

The Serbian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous (self-governing) member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Serbian Church ranks sixth in terms of primacy in the Eastern Orthodox Church behind Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia. Even though the church is completely self-governing and appoints its own leaders, it is in communion with the other Eastern Orthodox churches.

The Serbian Orthodox Church has its roots in Serbia, and it still plays an important role in that country. The church has also spread to other countries because of Serbs immigrating to new places. The church has dioceses in the United States, Australia, Canada, and parts of Western Europe. The Serbian Church has more than 3,500 church buildings, nearly 2,000 priests, and approximately 8 million members as of 2025. In 2018, the church announced that it would be changing its official name to Serbian Orthodox Church–Pec Patriarchate, to acknowledge the church's historical ties to Kosovo. The Kosovan town of Pec was once the location of the church's headquarters, which were later moved to Belgrade. However, the church remains commonly referred to by the previous, shorter name.

History

The roots of Christianity in Serbia are somewhat unclear. Some traditions say that the Apostle Paul brought Christianity to the Dalmatian Coast shortly after the time of Jesus. It is clear that Christian missionaries were spreading the faith along the Dalmatian Coast between the seventh and ninth centuries. By the ninth century, the Christian church was established in Serbia. Serbia is located somewhat between Constantinople and Rome, so the church’s allegiance varied between the two cities. Eventually, however, the Serbian church became aligned with the church in Constantinople, which would eventually make it part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

According to tradition, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church was St. Sava, who became the first Archbishop of Serbia. Sava's parents were the king and queen of Serbia, but he gave up his life of privilege to live as a monk. In 1219, St. Sava was consecrated as the first Archbishop of Serbia, and he petitioned the Byzantine emperor to allow Serbian bishops to elect their own archbishop. When the archbishop returned to Serbia after being ordained, he consecrated new bishops and set up new diocese, helping to spread the faith.

At this time, the Serbian Church became a self-governing church, and a few decades later Constantinople recognized the Serbian Patriarchate. In the late 1300s, the Turks invaded Serbia and made it part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman rule had conflicting effects on the church. The Ottomans gave the Serbian Orthodox more legal power, so the church became an even more important part of many Serbs' lives. However, the Ottoman rulers later gave the rule of the Serbian church to Constantinople, which weakened the church in Serbia.

World War II brought new challenges to the church when Croatian fascists were in charge of Serbia. Tens of thousands of Serbian people (many part of the Serbian Orthodox Church), non-fascist Croatian people, Jewish people, and Roma people were killed in the area during this time. The fascists also targeted some of the Serbian Orthodox Church's hierarchy, murdering more than 150 priests and three bishops.

After World War II, a communist Yugoslav government took control of Serbia, which also had a lasting impact on the church. Since the communists took over right after World War II, many Serbian churches were still damaged or destroyed. Communists limited the Serbian Orthodox Church's ability to repair and rebuild these churches. The government also confiscated property and ended religious education in schools.

When Yugoslavia broke up, the Serbian Orthodox Church was free to become more active in the country again. Starting in the 1980s, however, tensions rose between the Serbs and Albanians. In the 1990s, fighting between the two sides increased into civil war. The Serbian Orthodox Church leaders eventually called for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević to leave office after he was indicted on war crimes, but some believed the church should have acted sooner.

Beliefs

The Serbian Orthodox Church believes that God is made up of a Trinity that includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Members also believe that Jesus died to forgive humanity's sins. They believe that the Orthodox faith is the one true faith that has been passed down from Jesus himself.

The Serbian Orthodox Church recognizes seven sacraments, which are important rites that impart grace and blessings. They include Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation, Holy Communion, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Holy Repentance, and Holy Unction. Monasticism is also an important aspect of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with the church having more than 200 monasteries around the world.

Like other Eastern Orthodox churches, the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is a celebration that includes scripture readings, songs, Holy Communion, and other traditions. The Serbian Orthodox Divine Liturgy is usually celebrated in the local language.

Organization

The Serbian Orthodox Church is led by a Patriarch who is elected by the Holy Synod. The archbishop's full title is Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, Patriarch of the Serbs. The supreme authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church, however, is the Holy Synod. The Holy Synod is made up of the bishops in the church. This group meets every year in May. Another standing Synod made up of four bishops and the Patriarch meets all year round to help the church run day-to-day operations.

Over the centuries, Serbs have been displaced from their homeland many times. When some people left Serbia, they took their Serbian Orthodox faith with them. The Serbian Orthodox Church has over thirty-five dioceses spread around the world, with the most being inside Serbia and the surrounding areas. Dioceses are also located in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Western Europe.

Bibliography

"About Orthodoxy." Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, www.stsavaboston.org/about‗orthodoxy.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

Fr. Dosenovich. "Specifics of Serbian Orthodoxy." Orthodox Research Institute, www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/church‗history/dosenovich‗serbian‗orhtodoxy.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

Gordon N. Bardos "Patriarchal Orthodox Church of Serbia." The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Ed. John Anthony McGucki. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. 559-70.

"The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Has Been Convocated." SPC, 5 Oct. 2024, spc.rs/en/the-holy-assembly-of-bishops-of-the-serbian-orthodox-church-has-been-convocated/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025. 

"The Orthodox Church of Serbia." Catholic Near East Welfare Association, cnewa.org/eastern-christian-churches/orthodox-church/the-autocephalous-churches/the-orthodox-church-of-serbia/. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025. 

"Orthodox Churches: Serbian." Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, edited by George Thomas Kurian and Mark A. Lamport, Rowman & Littlefield, 2016, p. 1702.

"St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia." The Orthodox Church in America, oca.org/saints/lives/2013/01/12/100156-st-sava-i-first-archbishop-of-serbia. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

"The Serbian Orthodox Church - A Short History." St. Luke's Orthodox Mission, www.sv-luka.org/articles/sochistory.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.

Vasovic, Aleksandar. "Serbia's Orthodox Church to Change Name to Stress Kosovo Link." Reuters, 8 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-serbia-church-kosovo/serbias-orthodox-church-to-change-name-to-stress-kosovo-link-idUSKCN1GK1XX. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.