Serbian Patriarch
| Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch | |
|---|---|
| Bishopric | |
| orthodox | |
 |
|
| Incumbent: Irinej since 23 January 2010 |
|
| Style | His Holiness |
| First incumbent |
Sava (Archbishop) Joanikije II (Patriarch) |
| Formation | 1219 (Archbishopric) 1346 (Patriarchy) |
| Website | spc |
This is a list of the heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church, since the establishment of the church as an Archbishopric in 1219 to today's Patriarchate. The list includes all the Archbishops and Patriarchs that led the Serbian Orthodox Church under the Serbian Archbishopric and Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. Today, the church is unified under a Patriarch who is officially styled as Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch. Patriarch Irinej acceded to this position on 23 January 2010.
The autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric was founded in 1219 by Sava, under the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1346, when Stefan Dušan proclaimed himself Emperor, he also elevated the Archiepiscopal see of Peć to the rank of a patriarchate, creating the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. This was only recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1375.
After the Ottoman conquest of the Serbian Despotate in 1459, the Patriarchate gradually lost its importance. At times the church was forced by the Ottoman government to install Greeks in the office. From 1766 to 1920 the patriarchate was abolished and all ecclesiastical jurisdiction was given to the Patriarch of Constantinople. A metropolitan see was maintained in Belgrade from 1766 afterwards. There were also independent Serbian Orthodox sees based in Karlovci and in Montenegro.
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