The Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci () is an archdiocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church covering the city of Belgrade, capital of Serbia.History of the Archbishopric (in Serbian) It is central or patriarchal diocese, headed by the Serbian Patriarch.
The episcopal see is located at the Cathedral of Saint Archangel Michael while its headquarters are located at the Palace of the Patriarchate.
History
Diocese of Belgrade is one of the oldest ecclesiastical institutions in this part of Europe. Ancient Bishopric of Singidunum was an important ecclesiastical center of the late Roman Empire during 4th and 5th century. Its bishops Ursacius and Secundianus were actively involved in religious controversies over Arianism. That ancient bishopric finally collapsed after 584 when ancient Singidunum was finally destroyed by Avars.
After the Christianization of Slavs, the eparchy was renewed as late as 9th century, with the oldest known bishop of Belgrade being Sergios in 878. Byzantine rule in Belgrade was reinstated in 1018, and in 1019 Belgrade is mentioned as one of 16 episcopal seats of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. The Eparchy of Belgrade included also ecclesiastical centres in Gradac, Užice, Bela Crkva, Glavetina, and included 40 clergymen and 40 village priests, making it one of the richest and largest in the Ohrid Archbishopric. In the early 13th century, Belgrade was a battleground between Hungarian and Bulgarian rulers, and after Hungarian takeover in the 1230s, the Pope Gregory IX organized the eparchies of Belgrade and Braničevo under the newly established Bishopric of Syrmia. Belgrade and other territory was ceded by the Hungarian king to Serbian king Stefan Dragutin some time after 1284, and the Catholic church organization in Syrmia was suppressed, with the Serbian Orthodox bishop of Mačva being seated at Belgrade. The Serbian diocese of Mačva most likely stretched throughout the "Syrmian Lands". At the beginning of the 15th century, during the rule of Serbian despot Stefan Lazarević, metropolitans of Belgrade were among most influential hierarchs of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. Belgrade fell under Turkish rule in 1521, but Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1557 with its seat in the Patriarchate of Peć Monastery. During 16th and 17th centuries, Serbian bishops of Belgrade were styled as "Metropolitans of Belgrade and Syrmia".
At the end of the 17th century, regions of Belgrade and Syrmia were separated by the outcome of the Great Turkish War, with Belgrade and Lower Syrmia remaining under Ottoman rule, while Upper Syrmia came under Habsburg rule. In 1708, when the autonomous Serbian Metropolitanate in the Habsburg monarchy was created (Metropolitanate of Karlovci), the Eparchy of Srem became archdiocese of the Metropolitan, whose seat was in Sremski Karlovci. As a result of the Austro-Turkish War, Lower Syrmia and Belgrade came under Habsburg rule. Two seats (Belgrade and Karlovci) were reunited from 1726 to 1739, and then separated again, following the outcome of the Russo-Turkish War.
After that, Eparchy of Srem remained part of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci (Patriarchate of Karlovci after 1848) until 1920, while the Eparchy of Belgrade was returned to jurisdiction of Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. After the abolition of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć in 1766, Eparchy of Belgrade came under jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In 1831, Eastern Orthodox Church in Principality of Serbia gained its autonomy from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Belgrade became the seat of the archbishop who was now metropolitan of Serbia. At that time, territory of the archdiocese was very large and included regions of present-day dioceses of Šumadija and Braničevo. The Metropolitanate gained autocephaly in 1879.
In 1920, after the unification of all Serbian ecclesiastical units into unified Serbian Orthodox Church, old Eparchy of Srem with its seat in Sremski Karlovci came under direct administration of the archbishop of Belgrade who was also the Serbian patriarch. Formal unification of two eparchies was completed in 1931 when Archdiocese of Belgrade was joined with the Eparchy of Srem into the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci. In that time, the city of Pančevo was transferred from Eparchy of Vršac to the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci. In 1947, Eparchy of Srem and Eparchy of Šumadija were excluded from the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci and were transformed into separate dioceses. The city of Pančevo was returned to the Eparchy of Banat. Although, the name of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci includes the name of the town of Sremski Karlovci, this town is today part of the Eparchy of Srem and not of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci which nowadays encompasses the City of Belgrade.
List of bishops Serbian Archbishopric Primate Tenure Title Jovan (around 1317) Bishop of Mačva and Belgrade
Serbian Patriarchate of Peć Primate Tenure Title Isidor (around 1415–1423) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Grigorije (around 1438–1440) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Joanikije (around 1479) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Filotej (since 1481) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Teofan (around 1509) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Maksim Branković Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Roman (around 1532) under Archbishopric of Ohrid Longin (around 1545–1548) under Archbishopric of Ohrid Makarije (around 1589) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Joakim (around 1607–1611) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Avesalom (around 1631–1632) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Ilarion (around 1644–1662) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Jefrem (around 1662–1672) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Elevterije (around 1673–1678) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Pajsije (around 1680–1681) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Simeon Ljubibratić (1682–1690) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Mihailo (around 1699–1705) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Syrmia Mojsije Petrović (1713–1730) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Vikentije Jovanović (1731–1737) Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Sophronius (around 1740–1745) Metropolitan of Belgrade Vikentije Stefanović (around 1753) Metropolitan of Belgrade Callinicus (around 1759–1761) Metropolitan of Belgrade
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Primate Tenure Title JeremiahЈеремијаJeremiah 1766–1784 Metropolitan of Belgrade Dionysius IДионисије I 1785–1791 Metropolitan of Belgrade MethodiusМетодије 1791–1801 Metropolitan of Belgrade LeontiusЛеонтије 1801–1813 Metropolitan of Belgrade Dionysius IIДионисије II 1813–1815 Metropolitan of Belgrade AgathangelusАгатангел 1815–1825 Metropolitan of Belgrade KirilКирил 1825–1827 Metropolitan of Belgrade AnthimusАнтим 1827–1831 Metropolitan of Belgrade
Metropolitanate of Belgrade Primate Portrait Tenure Title Melentije PavlovićМелентијеMelenthius 1831–1833 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Petar JovanovićПетарPeter 1833–1859 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Mihailo JovanovićМихаилоMichael 1859–1881 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Mojsije Veresić 1881–1883 Administrator of the Metropolitanate of Belgrade Teodosije MraovićТеодосијеTheodosius 1883–1889 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Mihailo JovanovićМихаилоMichael 1889–1898 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Inokentije PavlovićИнокентијеInnocentius 1898–1905 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Dimitrije PavlovićДимитријеDemetrius 1905–1920 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia
Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian patriarchs, archbishops of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci Title: Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch Primate Portrait Tenure Title Dimitrije [I]Димитрије (I)Demetrius (I) 1920–1930 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Varnava [I]Варнава (I)Barnabas (I) 1930–1937 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Gavrilo [V]Гaврилo (V)Gabriel (V) 1938–1950 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Vikentije [II]Викентије (II)Vicentius (II) 1950–1958 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci German [I]Герман (I)Herman (I) 1958–1990 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Pavle [I]Павле (I)Paul (I) 1990–2009 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Irinej [I]Иринеј (I)Irenaeus (I) 2010–2020 Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci Porfirije [I]Порфирије (I)Porphyrius (I) 2020–present Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci
Notable monasteries Rakovica Vavedenje Rajinovac St. Archangel Gabriel
Gallery
See also Eparchies and metropolitanates of the Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Seminary
References
Literature
Further reading