The Patriarchate of Serbia
The Serbian Orthodox Church owes its independence to St. Sava, who was consecrated as the first Archbishop of Serbia in 1219 and is still revered as a national saint today. The lost battle on the Field of Blackbirds (Kosovo polje), which marked the beginning of Ottoman rule in the Balkans in 1389, left a lasting impression on Serbian historical consciousness. In the 17th century, the Serbs in the south of the Habsburg monarchy established their own church structure under the leadership of the Metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci. After the dissolution of the (first) Serbian Patriarchate of Peć (1346-1766) by the Ottomans, the metropolitans of Sremski Karlovci gained great importance and were also given the title of Patriarch from 1848. After regaining state independence (Kingdom of Serbia in 1882, extended to the “Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes” after the First World War in 1918), the church structures within and outside the Serbian homeland were reunited. In 1920, the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the restoration of the Serbian Patriarchate, which has had its seat in Belgrade ever since.
After the Second World War, the Serbian Orthodox Church once again suffered persecution in Yugoslavia under Tito's rule. It was further weakened in 1967 by the declaration of autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which was supported by the state (see below: 1.16). During the Balkan wars of 1991-95, the Orthodox Church stood up for the unity of the Serbian people, which was criticized by the West as support for the war, although Patriarch Pavle (1990-2009) repeatedly called for non-violence and reconciliation. The conflict over Kosovo is particularly explosive because the historical center of the Serbian Church (the Peć Monastery) is located there. The Orthodox Serbs in Croatia, in Montenegro, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina (particularly in the “Republika Srpska” there) also belong to the Patriarchate of Belgrade. The Serbian Orthodox Church has a good theological education system with several seminaries and two theological faculties (in Belgrade and in Foča). Conflicts have recently arisen between lecturers at the state faculty in Belgrade and the Church leadership. Patriarch Porfirije, who has been in office since 2021, has good contacts with the Roman Catholic Church (he was previously Metropolitan in the Croatian capital Zagreb) and is considered open to ecumenical contacts and cooperation.
Literature
- D. Schon (ed.), Die Serbische Orthodoxe Kirche in den Herausforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts, Regensburg 2019.
- R. Kolundžić, Orthodoxe Serben in Deutschland als „Gastarbeiter“ und ihre vermehrte Zuwanderung seit 1990, in: Th. Bremer / A.E. Kattan / R. Thöle (eds.), Orthodoxie in Deutschland, Münster 2016, 45-50.
- R. Kisić, Die Serbische Orthodoxe Kirche, in: Th. Bremer / H.R. Gazer / Chr. Lange (eds.), Die orthodoxen Kirchen der byzantinischen Tradition, Darmstadt 2013, 45-52.
- R. Kisić, Vertrauen und Zusammenarbeit. Die Orthodoxe Kirche im heutigen Serbien, in: Herder Korrespondenz 66 (2012) 626-631.
- Th. Bremer, Kleine Geschichte der Religionen in Jugoslawien, Freiburg i.Br. 2003.