The Metropolitanate of Belgrade (Serbian: Београдска митрополија, romanizedBeogradska mitropolija) was an Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical province (metropolitanate) which existed between 1831 and 1920, with jurisdiction over the territory of Principality and Kingdom of Serbia. It was formed in 1831, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople granted church autonomy to its eparchies in the Principality of Serbia.[1] Territorial enlargement and full canonical autocephaly were gained in 1879.[2] The Metropolitanate existed until 1920, when it was merged with Patriarchate of Karlovci and other Serbian ecclesiastical provinces to form the united Serbian Orthodox Church. The seat of the Metropolitanate was in Belgrade, Serbia.

Metropolitanate of Belgrade

Београдска митрополија
Beogradska mitropolija
Location
TerritorySerbia
HeadquartersBelgrade, Serbia
Information
DenominationEastern Orthodox
Established1831
Dissolved1920
LanguageChurch Slavonic
Serbian
GovernanceSelf-governing Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate
Territorial development of the Principality of Serbia and Kingdom of Serbia (1817–1913).

The Metropolitanate and all of its eparchies suffered significant loses during World War I (1914–1918), particularly after 1915, during the occupation of Serbia by the Central Powers.[3]

Eparchies

edit

The Metropolitanate included the following eparchies:

Eparchy Seat Notes
Eparchy of Belgrade Belgrade Now Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovci.
Eparchy of Žiča Čačak Eparchy of Užice until 26 June 1884. Now seated in Kraljevo.
Eparchy of Šabac Šabac Part of the Eparchy of Belgrade from 1886 to 1898.
Eparchy of Timok Zaječar Formed after 1833. Part of the Eparchy of Niš from 1886 to 1891.
Eparchy of Niš Niš Added in 1879. Eparchy of Nišava (seated in Pirot) abolished and merged with Eparchy of Niš on 1 November 1880.
Eparchy of Raška and Prizren Prizren Administration from 1912.
Eparchy of Skopje Skopje Administration from 1912.
Eparchy of Debar and Kičevo Kičevo Administration from 1912.

Metropolitans, 1831–1920

edit
No. Primate Portrait Personal name Reign Title Notes
1 Melentije
Мелентије
Melenthius
  Melentije Pavlović
Мелентије Павловић
1831–1833 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia First Serb Metropolitan of Belgrade
2 Petar
Петар
Peter
  Pavle Jovanović
Павле Јовановић
1833–1859 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia
3 Mihailo
Михаило
Michael
  Miloje Jovanović
Милоје Јовановић
1859–1881 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia First tenure
Mojsije
Мојсије
Moses
  Maksim Veresić
Максим Вересић
1881–1883 Administrator of the Metropolitanate of Belgrade Appointed by the Austrophile Serbian government
4 Teodosije
Теодосије
Theodosius
  Teodor Mraović
Теодор Мраовић
1883–1889 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia
(3) Mihailo
Михаило
Michael
  Miloje Jovanović
Милоје Јовановић
1889–1898 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Second tenure
5 Inokentije
Инокентије
Innocentius
  Jakov Pavlović
Јаков Павловић
1898–1905 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia
6 Dimitrije
Димитрије
Dimitrius
  Dimitrije Pavlović
Димитрије Павловић
1905–1920 Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia Elevated to Patriarch

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 192-193.
  2. ^ Kiminas 2009, p. 20-21.
  3. ^ Radić 2015, p. 263–285.

Sources

edit
  • Bataković, Dušan T., ed. (2005). Histoire du peuple serbe [History of the Serbian People] (in French). Lausanne: L’Age d’Homme.
  • Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Fotić, Aleksandar (2008). "Serbian Orthodox Church". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 519–520.
  • Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate: A History of Its Metropolitanates with Annotated Hierarch Catalogs. Wildside Press LLC.
  • Pavlovich, Paul (1989). The History of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Serbian Heritage Books.
  • Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (2002). Serbia: The History behind the Name. London: Hurst & Company.
  • Popović, Radomir V. (2013). Serbian Orthodox Church in History. Belgrade: Academy of Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation.
  • Radić, Radmila (2007). "Serbian Christianity". The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 231–248.
  • Radić, Radmila (2015). "The Serbian Orthodox Church in the First World War". The Serbs and the First World War 1914-1918. Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. pp. 263–285.
  • Radojević, Mira; Mićić, Srđan B. (2015). "Serbian Orthodox Church cooperation and frictions with Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Bulgarian Exarchate during interwar period". Studia Academica šumenesia. 2: 126‒143.