Figure 1.-- |
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The main religion in Serbia and the religion of the vast majority of ethnic Serbs is Christian Orthodox. The Serbian Orthodox Church became autonomous (1219). The Church played a major role in the development of the Serbian national identity. This was especially true after the Ottoman conquest. Serbian nationalism to this day is intertwined with the Orthodox faith. Some of the minority groups in Serbia are also Orthodox, including the Romanians, Bulgarians and many Romani. Other religions include: Islam, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and others. Religion is often intertwined with ethnicity. Croats are mostly Roman Catholic and Kosovars are mostly Islamic.
The main religion in Serbia and the religion of the vast majority of ethnic Serbs is Orthodox Christianity.
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia.
The Serb Orthodox is led by the Patriarch, "Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Patriarch of the Serbs."
The Serbian people gradually converted to Christianity as a result of the work from Byzantine missionaries St. Sava played a major role in the conversion of the Slavs.
The Serbian Orthodox Church became autonomous (1219). The Church played a major role in the development of the Serbian national identity. This was especially true after the Ottoman conquest. Serbian nationalism to this day is intertwined with the Orthodox faith. Some of the minority groups in Serbia are also Orthodox, including the Romanians, Bulgarians and many Romani.
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.
A HBC reader writes, "I came across a religious celebration and joined the procession and photographed it. I got ahint something special was happening today. Bells and Laural crowns were on sale everywhere. In the celebration both girls and boys wear the crowns. There is a bell ringing throughout the ceremony. The procession walks around the church three times. It then precesses into the church. People then line up for a blessing. They make the sign of the cross in front of two religious icons. These are kissed. The priest then makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of adults and children. Both men, women and children kiss the hand of the priest.
I joined the in but being Protestant could not do the crossing or the kissing. I did bow before the sacred icons and had the sign of the cross on the forehead. The priest squeezed my arm in recognition that a stranger was in his midst.
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