This article lists the heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church, since the establishment of the church as an autocephalous archbishopric in 1219 to today's patriarchate. The list includes all the archbishops and patriarchs that led the Serbian Orthodox Church under the Serbian Archbishopric and Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. Today, the church is unified under a patriarch who is officially styled as Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch (Serbian: Архиепископ пећки, митрополит београдско-карловачки, и патријарх српски, romanized: Arhiepiskop pećki, mitropolit beogradsko-karlovački, i patrijarh srpski).
According to the current constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the patriarch is elected by a special convocation of the Bishops' Council,[1] and serves as the chairman of the Holy Synod.[2]
The current patriarch is Porfirije, elected on 18 February 2021.[3] He acceded to this position the next day, following his enthronement in the St. Michael's Cathedral in Belgrade.[4] Porfirije was formally enthroned to the ancient throne of the Serbian patriarchs in the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć on 14 October 2022.[5]
The autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric was founded in 1219 by Sava, under the authority of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. In 1346, when Stefan Dušan proclaimed himself emperor, he also elevated the archiepiscopal see of Peć to the rank of a patriarchate, creating the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. This was only recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1375.
After the Ottoman conquest of the Serbian Despotate in 1459, the patriarchate gradually lost its importance. At times the church was forced by the Ottoman government to install Greeks in the office. From 1766 to 1920 the patriarchate was abolished and all ecclesiastical jurisdiction was given to the patriarch of Constantinople. A metropolitan see was maintained in Belgrade from 1766 afterwards. There were also independent Serbian Orthodox sees based in Karlovci and in Montenegro.
In 1920, the church was reunified and the patriarchy was reestablished with the see moving to Belgrade, but retaining the lineage of the throne of Saint Sava in Peć. The patriarch holds ecclesiastical authority over the Orthodox Church in the territory of the former Yugoslavia (with the exception of Macedonia), and also over the Serbian Orthodox diaspora in Western Europe, Australia, and the Americas.
Styles
Currently, the style of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church is "Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch" (архиепископ пећки, митрополит београдско-карловачки и патријарх српски). The short title is "Serbian Patriarch" (патријарх српски). Historically, various styles have been used.
Archbishop Sava (s. 1219–33) was styled "Archbishop of Serb Lands" and "Archbishop of Serb Lands and the Littoral" in the Vranjina charter, while Domentijan (fl. 1253) used the style "Archbishop of all the Serbian and coastal lands" when speaking of Sava.[7] The fresco of Sava at Mileševa calls him "the first Archbishop of All Serb and Diocletian Lands".[8] Archbishop Sava III (s. 1309–16) was styled "Archbishop of All Serb and Littoral Lands".
Legend
Archbishops, 1219–1346
Patriarchs, 1346–1766
Patriarchs, 1920–present
Timeline
See also
Annotations
- A The Ottomans did not recognize the official title of "Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch". However, church records still record these three men as Patriarchs even though they did not serve in full title. They were still known as the guardians or protectors of the "throne of Saint Sava".
- B The patriarchs hold the title of Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch and are considered the successors to the Patriarchal throne of Peć. However, the Patriarchy is based in Belgrade, Serbia.
References
- ^ Article 43 of the Constitution of 1957.
- ^ Article 58 of the Constitution of 1957.
- ^ a b "Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana elected for a new Patriarch of Serbia". spc.rs. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ a b "His Holiness Porfirije, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch enthroned". spc.rs. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije enthroned in the Patriarchate of Peć". spc.rs. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ Radovan Samardžić; Milan Duškov (1993). Serbs in European civilization. Nova. p. 27. ISBN 978-86-7583-015-3.
- ^ Svetislav Mandić (1986). Velika gospoda sve srpske zemlje i drugi prosopografski prilozi. Srpska književna zadruga. p. 69. ISBN 9788637900122.
- ^ "DR. PAVLOVITCH DIES; SERBIAN PATRIARCH; Head of National Church of Yugoslavia Stricken at the Age of 84 Years". The New York Times. 7 April 1930. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "PATRIARCH GAVRILO OF SERBIAN CHURCH; Wartime Foe of Axis, Prisoner at Dachau Dies--Urged Clergy to Support Tito". The New York Times. Reuters. 8 May 1950. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "CHURCH IN YUGOSLAVIA PICKS NEW PATRIARCH". The New York Times. AP. 2 July 1950. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Patriarch Pavle, Serbian Church Leader, Dies at 95". The New York Times. AP. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ "Bishop of Nis Irinej elected for a new Patriarch of Serbia". spc.rs. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Enthronement of Patriarch Irinej of Serbia". spc.rs. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Serbian Patriarch Irinej reposed in the Lord". spc.rs. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
Sources
- Slijepčević, Djoko (1962). Историја Српске православне цркве (History of the Serbian Orthodox Church). Vol. књ. 1. Минхен: Искра.
- Slijepčević, Djoko (1966). Историја Српске православне цркве (History of the Serbian Orthodox Church). Vol. књ. 2. Минхен: Искра.
- Slijepčević, Djoko (1986). Историја Српске православне цркве (History of the Serbian Orthodox Church). Vol. књ. 3. Келн: Искра.
- Slijepčević, Đoko (2002). Istorija srpske pravoslavne crkve: Od pokrštavanja Srba do kraja XVIII veka. Култура. ISBN 978-86-7609-042-6.
- Bogdanović, Dimitrije (1972). Likovi svetitelja (in Serbian). Glavni savez udruženog pravoslavnog sveštenstva SFRJ.
- Dučić, Nićifor (1894). Istorija Srpske pravoslavne crkve od prvijeh desetina VII v. do naših dana (in Serbian). Drž. stamp Kralj. Srbije.
- Marjanović, Čedomir (2001). Istorija Srpske crkve. Ars Libri. ISBN 9788675880011.
- Miklosich, Franz (1858). Monumenta Serbica spectantia historiam Serbiae, Bosnae, Ragusii. Vienna: apud Guilelmum Braumüller.
- Pavlovich, Paul (1989). The History of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Serbian Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-9691331-2-4.
- Sava, Bishop of Šumadija (1996). Srpski jerarsi: od devetog do dvadesetog veka (in Serbian). Evro.
External links
- Serbian Orthodox Church, history at spc.rs
- Pages on most of the Serbian Patriarchs (in Serbian)
- Kosovo.com: another list of Serbian Patriarchs
- Hierarchical Succession of the Patriarchal See of Serbia from the Orthodox Research Institute