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74-733: The Eparchy of Zeta was founded in 1219 by Sava of the Nemanjić dynasty , the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church . After receiving the autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and confirmation from the Byzantine Emperor , Archbishop Sava organized the area under his ecclesiastical jurisdiction into nine bishoprics. One of these was the Bishopric of Zeta (the southern half of modern Montenegro, and northern part of modern Albania). The seat of

148-627: A hieromartyr by the Serbian Orthodox church . Under the Yugoslav Communist rule (1944–1989), the Metropolitanate suffered constant repression at the hands of the new regime. Persecution was particularly severe during the first years of Communist rule (1944–1948) The new regime exerted direct pressure on the clergy in order to crush all forms of anti-communist opposition. In the same tame, many church properties were confiscated, some under

222-644: A printing house in Cetinje, run by Hieromonk Makarije , and produced the first ever book to be printed among the South Slavs . It was the " Cetinje Octoechos ", a Serb-Slavonic translation from the original Greek of a service book that is still used to this day in the daily cycle of services in the Orthodox Church. In 1496, entire Zeta, including Montenegro, fell to the Turks , but the Metropolitanate survived. After 1496,

296-587: A boy under the rule of Devşirme and converted into Islam. In spite of that, he later restored ties with his family, and in 1557 his cousin Makarije , one of the Serbian Orthodox bishops, was elected the new Serbian Patriarch of Peć. The full restoration of the old Patriarchate was of great importance for the Orthodox Serbs because it enabled them to reorganize and improve their spiritual and cultural life under

370-555: A citizen of the Republic of Venice , where he was known as "baron lord of the Serbian King, with holdings in the Zeta region and Bojana of the maritime ". Đuraš Ilijić was "Head" (Kefalija, from Greek Kephale ) of Upper Zeta until his murder in 1362. Đuraš had been killed by the sons of a Balša , a nobleman that held one village during the reign of Dušan. After Dušan, his son, Uroš

444-481: A firm state control over the church administration. During his long reign, metropolitans Ilarion Roganović (since 1863), and Visarion Ljubiša (since 1882) undertook some important reforms of church administration. In 1878, the Principality of Montenegro was recognized as an independent state, and it was also enlarged, by annexing Old Herzegovina and some other regions. Until that time, Eastern Orthodox Christians of

518-824: A form of " hierocracy ". He became the first Prince-Bishop of the Old Montenegro , and continued to oppose the Ottoman Empire , while maintaining traditional ties with the Venetian Republic . He also established direct ties with the Russian Empire , seeking and receiving financial aid and political protection. His successors continued the same policy. Metropolitans Sava II Petrović-Njegoš (1735–1750, 1766–1781) and Vasilije Petrović-Njegoš (1750–1766) had to balance between Ottomans, Venetians, and Russians. During that time, metropolitans of Cetinje continued to be ordained by

592-481: A new political dimension to several ecclesiastical disputes was added. One of those disputes was related to claims and activities of a separate Montenegrin Orthodox Church , that was created in 1993 by a group of Montenegrin nationalists, but never recognized as canonical. During the following years, various disputes arose, mainly over the question of historical and canonical legitimacy and effective control over some church objects and properties. In 2019, relations with

666-567: A rift between the Byzantine and Serbian churches, but not on dogmatic grounds, since the dispute was limited to the questions of ecclesiastical order and jurisdiction. Patriarch Joanikije died in 1354, and his successor Patriarch Sava IV (1354–1375) faced new challenges in 1371, when Turks defeated the Serbian army in the Battle of Marica and started their expansion into Serbian lands. Since they were facing

740-629: A series of attempts to restore the Serbian Patriarchate, and for a short time managed to seize the throne of Peć , proclaiming himself to be the new Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch . By 1541, his movement was crushed by joint forces of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In spite of that, Serbian Church leaders continued to hope for a new chance to renew their old Patriarchate. Serbian Patriarchate of Peć

814-420: A tributary state to the Ottoman Empire , and the Serbian Patriarchate was also affected by general social decline, since Ottoman Turks continued their expansion and raids into Serbian lands, devastating many monasteries and churches. The city of Skopje was taken by Turks in 1392, and all other southern regions were taken in 1395. That led to the gradual retreat of the jurisdiction of the Serbian Patriarchate in

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888-512: The Central Synod prepared the final proclamation of Church unification on 12 September 1920. The creation of the unified Serbian Orthodox Church was also confirmed by King Alexander I . Old metropolitan Mitrofan Ban was succeeded in the autumn of 1920 by Gavrilo Dožić , who became new Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral. In 1931, under the provisions of the newly adopted Constitution of

962-651: The Eparchy of Cetinje ( Serbian : Цетињска епархија ), as well as other eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, continued to exist under the new Ottoman rule. It had diocesan jurisdiction over Old Zeta , known now as Old Montenegro , keeping its seat in Cetinje. It had spiritual influence over the territory between Bjelopavlići and Podgorica to the Bojana River . The eparchy also included some parts of Herzegovina , from Grahovo to Čevo. From 1557 to 1766, eparchy

1036-632: The Holy Synod started to function in full capacity, with three bishops. Following the end of the First World War (1914–1918), the Kingdom of Montenegro was united with the Kingdom of Serbia on 26 (13 o.s. ) November 1918, by the proclamation of the newly elected Podgorica Assembly , and soon after that, on 1 December of the same year, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created, known after 1929 as

1110-602: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia . The political and national unification was carried out under the auspices of the Karađorđević dynasty, and thus a long-standing dynastic rivalry between the two royal families, the Petrović–Njegoš dynasty of Montenegro and the Karađorđević dynasty of Serbia, was finally resolved, without mutual agreement. Political unification was followed by the unification of all Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions within

1184-467: The Monastery of Žiča and since the middle of the 13th century in the Monastery of Peć . Political expansion of the Serbian medieval state culminated under the reign of King Stefan Dušan (1331–1355), who conquered many western provinces of the declining Byzantine Empire . Since 1334, the seat of the ancient Archbishopric of Ohrid was under Serbian rule, and by the autumn of 1345 Serbian forces completed

1258-474: The Nemanjić dynasty , from the end of the 12th century, up to the middle of the 14th century. During that period, regional administration in Zeta was often bestowed to various members of the ruling dynasty, who administered the region as a crown land. At the time of Mihailo I , Zeta was a župa within Duklja and was also known as Luška župa . From the end of the 11th century, the name began to be used to refer to

1332-777: The Old Herzegovina belonged to the Metropolitanate of Herzegovina , centered in Mostar , still under the Ottoman rule. Such diocesan affiliation was no longer maintainable, and for the newly annexed regions a new bishopric was created, the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raška , with seat in Nikšić . Since that time, there were two eparchies in Montenegro: the old Metropolitanate, still centered in Cetinje, and

1406-635: The Ottoman Empire gradually conquered all Serbian lands, starting with the Serbian Despotate in 1459, followed by the conquest of the Bosnian Kingdom in 1463, Herzegovina in 1482, and finally Montenegro in 1496. All eparchies of the Serbian Patriarchate were devastated during Turkish raids, and many monasteries and churches were plundered and destroyed. Because of that, the period was remembered as "The Great Desolation" (ser. великое запустение). Although some Christian Serbs converted to Islam after

1480-593: The Patriarchal Monastery of Peć . It had ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in Serbian Lands and other western regions of Southeastern Europe . Primates of the Patriarchate were styled Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch . Since 1219, the Eastern Orthodox Church in the medieval Kingdom of Serbia was organized as an autocephalous Archbishopric seated at first in

1554-521: The Republic of Venice . At the beginning of the 17th century, Montenegrins fought and won two important battles at Lješkopolje (1603 and 1613), under the leadership and command of metropolitan Rufim Njeguš . This was the first time that the metropolitan had led and defeated the Ottomans. Entire territory of the Metropolitanate was severely affected during the Morean War , and in 1692 the old Cetinje Monastery

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1628-486: The Russian Holy Synod in 1833, establishing a practice that lasted until 1885. As a reformer of state administration, Petar II made preparations for separation of spiritual and secular power, and upon his death such separation was implemented. His successors became: Prince Danilo Petrović-Njegoš as a secular ruler, and metropolitan Nikanor Ivanović as a spiritual leader, new metropolitan of Montenegro. The Eparchy

1702-632: The Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan . After the dissolution of the Serbian Empire (1371), the region of Zeta was ruled by the House of Balšići , and in 1421 it was integrated into the Serbian Despotate . During that period, the Republic of Venice gradually conquered coastal regions of Zeta, including cities of Kotor , Budva , and the Bar and Ulcinj . Metropolitanate of Zeta was directly affected by

1776-667: The Serbian Patriarchs of Peć (until 1766), and later by the Serbian Metropolitans of Karlovci in Habsburg monarchy (until 1830). After brief tenure of Arsenije Plamenac (1781–1784), several new policies were introduced by Metropolitan Petar I Petrović-Njegoš (1784–1830), who initiated the unification process between the Old Montenegro and the region of Brda . The same process was completed by his successor Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1830–1851), who received consecration from

1850-589: The Southeastern Europe . For Christian Serbs in Ottoman Empire, the renewed Serbian Patriarchate was a religious and national symbol that substituted for their long-lost state. Therefore, the Patriarchate could not stand aside of political events and some of its leaders participated in local uprisings against Turkish rule. In the time of Serbian Patriarch Jovan Kantul (1592–1614), the Ottoman Turks took

1924-549: The Holy Mountain) is a periodical journal of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, founded in 1992 by Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović , and its currently published and edited by "Publishing and Information Institution of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral". Contains mostly the church teachings, poetry, lectures, spiritual lessons, reportages, news and chronicles from

1998-536: The Metropolitanate, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the all other Orthodox churches. During 1998, Metropolitan Amfilohije also started nationwide radio station Svetigora . The Metropolitanate has the following monasteries: Zeta under the Nemanji%C4%87i Zeta ( Serbian Cyrillic : Зета ) as a crown land was a medieval region and province of the Serbian state ( Principality , Kingdom , and Empire ) of

2072-416: The Ottoman rule. Territorial jurisdiction of the Patriarchate was expanded towards northern and western regions, with more than 40 eparchies, from Skopje to the south, to the Eparchy of Buda to the north. Among new eparchies in western and northern regions were: the Eparchy of Požega in lower Slavonia, the Eparchy of Bačka between Danube and Tisza , and the eparchies of Vršac and Temesvár in

2146-502: The Patriarchal Throne until the election of new Serbian Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović in 2010. Since Montenegro became a sovereign country in 2006, after a narrow independence referendum , relations between state authorities and the Metropolitanate became increasingly complex. As a strong supporter of Serbian-Montenegrin unionism , Metropolitan Amfilohije was seen as an opponent to newly proclaimed Montenegrin independence, and thus

2220-567: The Patriarchal throne in Peć. In the same time, after 1752 a series of internal conflicts arose among leading figures in the Serbian Patriarchate, resulting in constant fights between Serbian and Greek pretenders to the Patriarchal throne. Finally, the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć collapsed in 1766, when it was abolished by the Turkish Sultan Mustafa III (1757–1774). The entire territory of

2294-446: The Serbian Orthodox Church, the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raška with its seat in Nikšić was abolished, and its territory was added to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. In the same time, the Eparchy of Kotor and Dubrovnik was also abolished, and divided, its Bay of Kotor region being added to the Metropolitanate. In 1938, Metropolitan Gavrilo Dožić of Montenegro was elected Serbian Patriarch , and Joanikije Lipovac

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2368-557: The Serbian Patriarchate. In 1713, the seat of the Metropolitanate was moved to Sremski Karlovci . Consequent Serbian uprisings against the Turks and involvement of Serbian Patriarchs in anti-Ottoman activities, led to the political compromise of the Patriarchate in the eyes of the Turkish political elite. Instead of Serbian bishops, Turkish authorities favored politically more reliable Greek bishops who were promoted to Serbian eparchies and even to

2442-427: The Turkish conquest, the vast majority continued their adherence to the Serbian Orthodox Church. On the other hand, the structure of the Serbian Patriarchate was deeply disrupted. After the death of Patriarch Arsenije II in 1463, the question of succession was opened. Since sources are silent, historians concluded that the period of vacancy was prolonged, resulting in de facto abolition of the Patriarchal office. In

2516-1022: The Venetian advance. In 1452, the Venetians destroyed the Cathedral Monastery in Prevlaka, in order to facilitate their plans for the gradual conversion of the Eastern Orthodox Christians from these parts of the coast into the Roman Catholic faith. After that, the seat of the Metropolitanate moved several times, transferring between St Mark's Monastery in Budva, the Monastery of Prečista Krajinska , St Nicholas's Monastery on Vranjina ( Skadar Lake ), and St Nicholas's Monastery in Obod ( Rijeka Crnojevića ). Finally, it

2590-618: The Weak ruled Serbia during the fall of the Serbian Empire ; a gradual disintegration of the Empire was a result of decentralization in which provincial lords gained semi-autonomy and eventually independence. The Balšićs wrestled the region in 1360-1362, when they defeated the two lords of Upper and Lower Zeta. Over the decades, they became an important player in the politics of the Balkans. The Lordship

2664-475: The autocephalous Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Serbia". Soon after that, further steps towards ecclesiastical unification were made. From 24 to 28 May 1919, a conference of all Eastern Orthodox bishops within the borders of the unified state was held in Belgrade , and it was presided by metropolitan Mitrofan Ban of Montenegro, who was also elected president of the newly created Central Synod . Under his leadership,

2738-536: The bishops of Zeta was the Monastery of Holy Archangel Michael in Prevlaka (near modern Tivat ). The first bishop of Zeta was St. Sava's disciple Ilarion ( fl. 1219). Upon the proclamation of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć in 1346, the Bishopric of Zeta was among several eparchies elevated to the honorary rank of metropolitanate , by the decision of the state-church council, held in Skopje , and presided by

2812-614: The borders of the new state. Initial decision to include dioceses in Montenegro into the process of ecclesiastical unification was reached on 29 (16 o.s. ) December 1918 by the Holy Synod , consisted of all three hierarchs in Montenegro: Mitrofan Ban of Cetinje, Kirilo Mitrović of Nikšić, and Gavrilo Dožić of Peć. On that day, the Holy Synod met in Cetinje and unanimously accepted the following proposal: "The independent Serbian Orthodox Holy Church in Montenegro shall be united with

2886-481: The city of Skopje that was raised to Metropolitanate of Skopje . The Patriarchate took over supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction over Mount Athos and many Greek eparchies in Aegean Macedonia that were until then under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople . The same process continued after the Serbian conquests of Thessaly , Epirus , Aetolia and Acarnania in 1347 and 1348. In

2960-501: The common enemy, the Serbian and Byzantine governments and church leaders reached an agreement in 1375. The act of excommunication was revoked and the Serbian Church was recognized as a Patriarchate, under the condition of returning all eparchies in contested southern regions to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the new and decisive defeat by the Turks in the famous Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Serbia became

3034-465: The communist regime. He was imprisoned from 1954 to 1958, and then kept under house arrest until 1960. He was succeeded by Metropolitan Danilo Dajković (1961–1990), whose activities were also monitored closely by state authorities. In 1970–1972, the communist regime destroyed the Lovćen Church, dedicated to Saint Petar of Cetinje , and desecrated the tomb of metropolitan Petar II Petrović-Njegoš , who

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3108-493: The conquest of northern Greece, including the city of Serres , capital of eastern Macedonia and the seat of an important Metropolitanate. To mark the occasion, Stefan Dušan was proclaimed Emperor ( Serbian : цар / car ) on December 25, 1345 ( Christmas ) in Serres. Since it was customary for an emperor to be crowned by a patriarch, newly proclaimed Tsar Stefan Dušan decided to convoke a joint state and church assembly ( sabor ) that

3182-569: The following punitive campaigns, Turkish armies conducted many atrocities against local Christian populations in Serbian regions, resulting in Great Migrations of the Serbs . Since northern parts of the Patriarchate came under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy during the war (1683–1699), Serbian eparchies in those regions were reorganized into the autonomous Metropolitanate of Krušedol (1708) that remained under supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction of

3256-464: The future Serbian King and Emperor, co-ruled Zeta with his father. Dušan the Mighty was crowned Emperor in 1331, and ruled until his death in 1355. Žarko held the Lower Zeta region: he is mentioned in records from 1356, when he raided some traders from Dubrovnik , not far from Sveti Srđ at Lake Skadar . Zeta itself was held by the widow of Dušan, Jelena , who at the time was in Serres where she had her court. The next year, in June, Žarko becomes

3330-423: The history of Kosovo , there was "no ethnic monopoly on appointment to supposedly national church positions" in the Patriarchate of Peć and the Archbishopric of Ohrid. He also added that those ecclesiastical institutions "had no ethnic nature at that time, neither formally, nor in practice" and therefore placed "Serbian" and "Bulgarian" names in brackets. The turning point in the history of the Serbian Patriarchate

3404-438: The lawful throne and a descendant of the Patriarchate of Peć . Such aspirations were strengthened after the liberation of Peć during the successful enlargement of state territory of Montenegro in 1912, when another eparchy was created for several annexed territories that until then belonged to the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren . Its regions annexed to Montenegro were reorganized as the new Eparchy of Peć (1913). From that time,

3478-503: The new head of the diocese, Joanikije Mićović , who had been the administrator of the Metropolitanate from 30 October 2020, was enthroned in the Cetinje Monastery by the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije Perić . The Serbian Orthodox Church's intention to hold the ceremony at a historic monastery in the town of Cetinje , the country's former capital, further exacerbated political and ethnic tensions in Montenegro and provoked violent protests in Cetinje . Svetigora (Serbian: Светигора, English:

3552-444: The newly created Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raška, centered in Nikšić. No ecclesiastical province with joint church bodies was created until 1904, under the metropolitan Mitrofan Ban (1884–1920), when a Holy Synod was established, formally consisting of two bishops, but because of the long vacancy in Nikšić, it did not start to function until 1908. During the long reign of Prince and (from 1910) King Nikola I Petrović (1860–1918), who

3626-416: The political spectrum. Metropolitan Joanikije Lipovac co-operated closely with several right-wing movements, and also tried to mediate with local Italian and German officials in occupied Montenegro, thus provoking animosity of the left-wing Yugoslav Partisans . In 1944, when Yugoslav Communists took the power, he had to flee, but was arrested and executed without trial in 1945. In 2001, he was sanctified as

3700-418: The provisions of new laws, while other were taken illegally and forcefully. Several churches and even some minor monasteries were closed, and their buildings turned into police stations and warehouses. In the same time, new Montenegrin nation was proclaimed, as distinctive and separate from Serbian nation . In 1954, Metropolitan Arsenije Bradvarević (1947–1960) was arrested, tried and sentenced as an enemy of

3774-578: The region of Banat . One of the largest eparchies by territory was the Eparchy of Dabar-Bosnia , which had jurisdiction from the region of upper Drina throughout central and western Bosnia , up to the borders of Venetian Dalmatia and the Habsburg Military Frontier . The newly restored Serbian Patriarchate also included some eparchies in western Bulgaria. The basic title of its primate was Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch , although extended patriarchal titles sometimes included not only Serbs, but also Bulgarians, and various regions in western parts of

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3848-457: The region was reorganized: some northern and western regions were detached from the Metropolitanate, and on that territory new Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić was created. In the spring of 2006, the independence referendum was held, and Montenegro became a sovereign state. In the same time, the Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church decided to form a regional Bishops' Council for Montenegro, consisted of bishops representing dioceses on

3922-443: The remains of first Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava from the monastery of Mileševa to the Vračar hill in Belgrade , where they were burned by Sinan Pasha on a stake to intimidate the Serbs in the time of the Banat Uprising (1594). The present-day Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade was later built on the place where his remains were burned. According to British historian Frederick Anscombe, who praised works of Noel Malcolm on

3996-506: The same time, the Ohrid Archbishopric remained autocephalous, recognizing the honorary primacy of the new Serbian Patriarchate. Since proclamation of the Patriarchate was performed without consent of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, various canonical and political questions were raised. Supported by the Byzantine government, Patriarch Callistus I of Constantinople issued an act of condemnation and excommunication of Tsar Stefan Dušan and Serbian Patriarch Joanikije in 1350. That act created

4070-456: The same time, the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Ohrid continued to expand towards northern Serbian eparchies until it finally took over the entire territory of the Serbian Patriarchate. That situation was not acceptable for Serbian church leaders who wanted to restore previous Church order. Shortly after the Turkish conquest of Belgrade in 1521 and victory in the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Serbian Metropolitan Pavle of Smederevo made

4144-408: The south and expansion of the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. Finally, in 1455, the city of Peć fell into Turkish hands. Soon after that, the Serbian capital of Smederevo also fell in 1459, marking the end of the main Serbian medieval state. Patriarch Arsenije II died in 1463, and the Serbian Patriarchate sank into the period of great decline. In the second half of the 15th century,

4218-450: The state further deteriorated as authorities adopted a new legislation on religious organisations, which was interpreted by the Serbian Orthodox Church as aimed at potential confiscation of church properties. Prolonged mass public manifestations ensued in support for the Metropolitanate that lasted until the parliamentary election in August 2020 and the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) losing power. On 5 September 2021,

4292-400: The territory of Montenegro lost their lives during the war. During that time, Montenegrin fascist Sekula Drljević tried to create an independent Kingdom of Montenegro , as a satellite state of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany , but that project failed because of the lack of support among people. His attempt was challenged by the 13 July Uprising in 1941, which had support from both sides of

4366-485: The territory of Montenegro. By the same decision, Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral was appointed president of the regional Bishops' Council. In the autumn of 2007, due to illness and advanced age of Serbian Patriarch Pavle Stojčević , Metropolitan Amflohije Radović of Montenegro was appointed administrator of the Patriarchal Throne, by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church . Old Patriarch Pavle died in 2009, and Metropolitan Amfilohije continued to administer

4440-567: The whole of Duklja, at first in Kekaumenos 's military manual, written in the 1080s. Over the following decades, the term Zeta gradually replaced Duklja to denote the region. Serbian Prince Desa Urošević conquered Duklja and Travunia in 1148, combining the title as " Prince of Primorje " (the Maritime) and co-ruled Serbia with his brother Uroš II Prvoslav from 1149 to 1153, and alone until 1162. In 1190, Grand Župan of Rascia and Stefan Nemanja 's son, Vukan II , asserted his right over Zeta. In 1219, Đorđe Nemanjić succeeded Vukan. He

4514-500: Was a Serbian patriot, rising political aspirations of his government included not only the securing of the Serbian throne for his dynasty, but also the renewal of the old Serbian Patriarchate of Peć . On the occasion of the elevation of Montenegro to the rank of Kingdom, in 1910, the prime minister of Montenegro, Lazar Tomanović, stated: The Metropolitanate of Cetinje is the only Saint Sava 's episcopal seat which has been preserved without interruption to this day, and as such it represents

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4588-451: Was buried there, replacing the church with a secular mausoleum. In 1990, Amfilohije Radović was elected new Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral. By that time, the communist regime in Yugoslavia was collapsing, and first democratic elections in Montenegro were held in 1990. In 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was created, consisting of Montenegro and Serbia. Under the Constitution of Montenegro (1992) , freedom of religion

4662-402: Was devastated. In 1697, new metropolitan Danilo Petrović-Njegoš was elected, as first among several hierarchs from the Petrović-Njegoš family, who would hold the same office in succession up to 1851. Metropolitan Danilo (1697–1735) was greatly respected, not only as a spiritual leader, but also as leader of the people. He combined in his hands both spiritual and secular power, thus establishing

4736-437: Was elected new Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, in 1940. During the Second World War , Yugoslavia was occupied by Axis powers in 1941, and the territory of Montenegro was organized as the Italian governorate of Montenegro (1941–1943), followed by the German occupation of Montenegro (1943–1944). The Metropolitanate was affected severely during the occupation, and more than hundred priests and other clergymen from

4810-418: Was finally restored in 1557 thanks to the mediation of some highly influential dignitaries in Turkish Court. During the second half of the reign of Turkish Sultan Suleiman I (1520–1566), one of the most notable Ottoman statesmen was pasha Mehmed Sokolović , who served as one of the Viziers since 1555 and later became Grand Vizier (1565–1579). By birth, he was an Orthodox Serb, taken from his family as

4884-434: Was held on April 16, 1346 ( Easter ) in the Serbian capital city of Skopje . This assembly was attended by Serbian Archbishop Joanikije II , Archbishop Nicholas I of Ohrid , Patriarch Simeon of Bulgaria and many other Hierarchs and Church dignitaries, including monastic leaders of Mount Athos . The assembly proclaimed the raising of the autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric to the rank of Patriarchate. The Archbishop of Peć

4958-496: Was marked by the events of the Austro-Turkish war (1683–1699) . During the war years, relations between Muslims and Christians in European provinces of the Turkish Empire were greatly radicalized. As a result of Turkish oppression, destruction of monasteries and violence against the non-Muslim civilian population, Serbian Christians and their church leaders headed by Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III sided with Austrians in 1689 and again in 1737 under Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV . In

5032-411: Was moved to Cetinje , in the region of Old Montenegro , where the Cetinje Monastery was built in 1484, by Prince Ivan Crnojević of Zeta. Starting from the end of the 15th century, mountainous regions of Zeta became known as Crna Gora ( Serbian : Црна Гора ), meaning the Black Mountain , hence the Montenegro . In 1493, Prince Ivan's son and successor, Prince Đurađ Crnojević (1490–1496), opened

5106-416: Was reorganized during the rule of Prince Danilo I (1852–1860), first secular ruler of the newly proclaimed Principality of Montenegro . Offices of ruling prince and metropolitan were separated, and diocesan administration was modernized. First metropolitan to be elected just as a church leader was Nikanor Ivanović in 1858. He was deposed and exiled in 1860 by new prince Nikola (1860–1918), who established

5180-510: Was restored. Political changes were followed by a period of church revival. The number of priests, monks and nuns, as well as the number of the faithful, increased and many monasteries and parish churches were rebuilt and reopened. For example, from only 10 active monasteries with about 20 monks and nuns in 1991, Montenegro now has 30 active monasteries with more than 160 monks and nuns. The number of parish priests also increased from 20 in 1991 to more than 60 today. In 2001, diocesan administration in

5254-512: Was reunified with the Serbian crown in 1421, when Balša III abdicated and passed the rule to his uncle, Despot Stefan Lazarević . Serbian Patriarchate of Pe%C4%87 The Serbian Patriarchate of Peć ( Serbian : Српска патријаршија у Пећи , Srpska patrijaršija u Peći ), or simply Peć Patriarchate ( Serbian : Пећка патријаршија , Pećka patrijaršija ), was an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate that existed from 1346 to 1463, and then again from 1557 to 1766 with its seat in

5328-546: Was succeeded by his second oldest son, Uroš I , who built the 'Uspenje Bogorodice' monastery in Morača. Between 1276 and 1309, Zeta was ruled by Queen Jelena , widow of Serbia 's King Uroš I . She restored around 50 monasteries in the region, most notably Saint Srđ and Vakh on the Bojana River . From 1309 to 1321, Zeta was co-ruled by the oldest son of King Milutin, Young King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski . Similarly, from 1321 to 1331, Stefan's young son Stefan Dušan Uroš IV Nemanjić ,

5402-409: Was titled Serbian Patriarch , and his seat at the Monastery of Peć became the Patriarchal residence. On the same occasion, the newly proclaimed Serbian Patriarch Joanikije solemnly crowned Stefan Dušan as Emperor and autocrat of Serbs and Greeks . The proclamation of the Patriarchate resulted in raising main bishoprics to the rank of honorary metropolitanates, starting with the bishopric of

5476-528: Was under constant jurisdiction of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć . During the 16th and 17th centuries, the bishops and the local Christian leaders led armed resistance against the Ottomans on several occasions, with some degree of success. Though the Ottomans nominally ruled the Sanjak of Montenegro , the Montenegrin mountains were never completely conquered. The bishops and local leaders often allied themselves with

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