The Serbian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church rooted in the medieval Christian history of the Serbian people. Its identity is closely associated with Saint Sava, the medieval Archbishopric of Serbia, the Patriarchate of Peć, Byzantine liturgical tradition, monasteries, sacred art, and communities across the Balkans and the global Serbian diaspora.
Saint Sava and medieval autocephaly
A defining moment came in 1219, when Sava of Serbia became the first archbishop of an autocephalous Serbian church. This gave the medieval Serbian church its own ecclesiastical leadership while remaining within the wider communion of Eastern Orthodoxy.
In 1346, during the reign of Stefan Dušan, the Serbian archbishopric was elevated to patriarchal status. The Patriarchate of Peć became an important religious and cultural institution, although its status changed repeatedly under Ottoman rule.
Suppression, restoration, and modern organization
The patriarchate was restored under Ottoman rule in 1557 and abolished again in 1766. Separate Serbian ecclesiastical structures later developed in different political territories. The modern Serbian Orthodox Church was reunified after the First World War, with the patriarchate restored in 1920.
The church is autocephalous, meaning that it governs its internal ecclesiastical affairs through its own hierarchy and synodal structures while remaining in communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches.
Worship and theology
Serbian Orthodox worship follows the Byzantine rite. The Divine Liturgy, the sacraments, fasting seasons, the veneration of icons, the liturgical calendar, and devotion to saints all form part of church life. Church Slavonic and Serbian have both played important roles in worship and religious literature.
Monasteries and cultural heritage
Monasteries such as Studenica, Žiča, Dečani, and the Patriarchate of Peć are central to Serbian Orthodox memory. They preserve architecture, frescoes, manuscripts, relics, and traditions that connect religious life with medieval history and national culture.
The church today
The Serbian Orthodox Church is led by the Serbian Patriarch and Holy Synod. As of 2026, its primate is Patriarch Porfirije. The church serves communities in Serbia and neighboring regions as well as dioceses and parishes in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and elsewhere.
Like other Orthodox churches, it combines a universal sacramental and theological tradition with a distinctive historical and cultural inheritance.
