Metropolitanate of Karlovci

Metropolitanate of Karlovci
Карловачка митрополија
Karlovačka mitropolija

Coat of Arms of Metropolitanate of Karlovci
Location
Territory Habsburg Monarchy
Headquarters Karlovci, Habsburg Monarchy (today Sremski Karlovci, Serbia)
Information
Denomination Serbian Orthodox
Sui iuris church Self-governing Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate
Established 1691
Dissolved 1848
Language Church Slavonic
Serbian

The Metropolitanate of Karlovci (Serbian: Карловачка митрополија or Karlovačka mitropolija) was a metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church that existed between 1691 and 1848.[1] Between 1691 and 1706 it was known as the Metropolitanate of Sentandreja, between 1708 and 1713 as the Metropolitanate of Krušedol, and between 1713 and 1848 as the Metropolitanate of Karlovci. In 1848, it was transformed into the Patriarchate of Karlovci, which existed until 1920, when it was merged with Metropolitanate of Belgrade to form the Patriarchate of Serbia.

History

After a large number of Serbs (cca 200 000), led by the Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević, migrated to southern Hungary, the Serbs religiously organized themselves by founding the Metropolis of Karlovci. This privilege was given to them by Emperor Leopold I in two chapters (Diploma Leopoldinum) the first issued on 21 August 1690 and the second a year later, on 20 August 1691.[2]

In two centuries of its autonomous existence in Austria and Hungary the Metropolitanate of Karlovci was organized on the basis of privileges originally received from Austrian authorities.[3]

First seat of the Metropolitanate (1691-1706) was in Sentandreja. Between 1708 and 1713, the seat of the Metropolitanate was in the monastery of Krušedol, and in 1713 it was moved to Karlovci (today Sremski Karlovci, Serbia).

The Serbian Orthodox assembly Council of 1708 in the Monastery of Krušedol proclaimed town Krušedol as the legal capital while all administrative activities were moved to the city of Karlovci. The monastery of Krušedol was bequest of the Serbian ducal family of Branković which was the main historical and national reasons for the Serbs to have this town as their Church capital.

The elected archbishop Mojsej Petrović in 1713 moved all administration from Krušedol to Karlovci. So, the new capital of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Austria became Sremski Karlovci which was confirmed by the seal of Imperial approval in the charter of Charles VI issued in October the same year. Belgrade was liberated from Ottoman rule in 1718 and became the second and later the most important city of the Orthodox Serbs. Shortly, by the Charles VI decree in 1731, the administrative capital of Serbian Orthodox Church was moved from Karlovci to Belgrade. It lasted only eight years until Belgrade fell again to Ottomans in the autumn on 1739.[4]

Patriarch Arsenije III held the Patriarch title until the end of his life. Emperor Joseph I, following the advice of his Jesuit secretary Kolonić abolished this title and substituted it for much lower and far less distinguished title of metropolitan. In his decree, Emperor Joseph I stated, "we must make sure that they never elect another Patriarch since it is against the Catholic Church and the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church". All spiritual leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church will be named after as both metropolitan and archbishop. The only exception from the Imperial decree was the case of Patriarch Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta who brought his title directly from the historic see of Peć.[4]

By the abolishment of Peć Patriarchate in 1776 the Metropolitanate of Sremski Karlovci became the fully independent center of Orthodoxy in the Habsburg Monarchy, with six suffragan bishops (Novi Sad, Timisoara, Vršac, Buda, Pakrac, and Karlovac).[5]

The position of Serbs and their Church in Austria and Hungary was regulated in reforms brought about first by empress Maria Theresa and later by emperor Joseph II. The Serbian Church-Public Council of 1769 regulated its status in a special paper named "Regulament" and, later, in "Deklaratorij" published in 1779.[3]

Serbian metropolitans of Sremski Karlovci promoted the Enlightenment by introducing western education in the schools established in Sremski Karlovci (1733) then in Novi Sad (1737). In order to counter the Roman Catholic influence, the school curricula was exposed to Russian Church and culture. As early as in 1724 the Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church sent M. Svivorov to open a school in Sremski Karlovci, which graduates were thereof passed on to Kievan seminary, and the more gifted to the Academy in Kiev.[6] The Church liturgical language became Russian Slavonic, called Church Slavonic. On another hand, baroque influence became visible in the church architecture, iconography, literature and theology.[7]

During the eighteenth century the Metropolitanate maintained close connections with Kiev and the Russian Orthodox Church. Many Serbian theological students were educated in Kiev. A Seminary was open in 1794 which educated Orthodox priests during the nineteenth century for the needs of the Karlovci Metropolitanate and beyond.[3]

In the second half of the 18th century, the Metropolitanate of Karlovci included a large territory that stretched from the Adriatic Sea to Bukovina and from Danube and Sava to Upper Hungary. The Metropolitanate had a jurisdiction over Orthodox Serbs, Romanians, Greeks and Cincars that lived in the Habsburg Monarchy.

Eparchies

It included following eparchies:

Eparchy Seat Notes
Eparchy of Gornji Karlovac Karlovac
Eparchy of Pakrac Pakrac Now Eparchy of Slavonia
Eparchy of Srem Sremski Karlovci Syrmia
Eparchy of Bačka Novi Sad Bačka
Eparchy of Budim Szentendre (Sentandreja)
Eparchy of Arad Arad
Eparchy of Temišvar Timişoara (Temišvar)
Eparchy of Banat Vršac Banat
Eparchy of Erdelj Transylvania
Eparchy of Bukovina Bukovina

Metropolitans, 1691–1848

No. Primate Portrait Personal name Reigned from Reigned until Title Notes
1 Arsenije III
Арсеније III
Arsenius III
Arsenije Čarnojević
Арсеније Чарнојевић
1691 1706 Patriarch of Peć
Metropolitan of Sentandreja
Leader of the First Serbian Migration
2 Isaija I
Исаија I
Isaias I
Isaija Đaković
Исаија Ђаковић
1708 Metropolitan of Krušedol
3 Sofronije
Софроније
Sophronius
Sofronije Podgoričanin
Софроније Подгоричанин
1710 1711 Metropolitan of Krušedol
4 Vikentije I
Викентије I
Vicentius I
Vikentije Popović-Hadžilavić
Викентије Поповић-Хаџилавић
1713 1725 Metropolitan of Karlovci
5 Mojsije I
Мојсије I
Moses I
Mojsije Petrović
Мојсије Петровић
1726 1730 Metropolitan of Karlovci
6 Vikentije II
Викентије II
Vicentius II
Vikentije Jovanović
Викентије Јовановић
1731 1737 Metropolitan of Karlovci
7 Arsenije IV
Арсеније IV
Arsenius IV
Arsenije Jovanović Šakabenta
Арсеније Јовановић Шакабента
1737 1748 Patriarch of Peć
Metropolitan of Karlovci
Leader of the Second Serbian Migration
8 Isaija II
Исаија II
Isaias II
Jovan Antonović
Јован Антоновић
1748 1749 Metropolitan of Karlovci
9 Pavle
Павле
Paul
Pavle Nenadović
Павле Ненадовић
1749 1768 Metropolitan of Karlovci
10 Jovan
Јован
John
Jovan Đorđević
Јован Ђорђевић
1768 1773 Metropolitan of Karlovci
11 Vićentije III
Вићентије III
Vicentius III
Vićentije Jovanović Vidak
Вићентије Јовановић Видак
1774 1780 Metropolitan of Karlovci
12 Mojsije II
Мојсије II
Moses II
Mojsije Putnik
Мојсије Путник
1781 1790 Metropolitan of Karlovci
13 Stefan I
Стефан I
Stephen I
Stefan Stratimirović
Стефан Стратимировић
1790 1836 Metropolitan of Karlovci
14 Stefan II
Стефан II
Stephen II
Stefan Stanković
Стефан Станковић
1836 1841 Metropolitan of Karlovci
15 Josif
Јосиф
Joseph
Ilija Rajačić
Илија Рајачић
1842 1848 Metropolitan of Karlovci
Patriarch of Karlovci

See also

References

  1. The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Volume 2 by John Anthony McGuckin, Wiley, Feb 8, 2011 page 564
    "The Serbian Church organization in the Habsburg monarchy was centered on the metropolitan of (Sremski) Karlovac,which in 1710 the patriarch of Peć, Kalinik I, recognized as autonomous."
  2. Plamen Mitev(editor): Empires and Peninsulas: Southeastern Europe Between Karlowitz and the Peace of Adrianople, 1699 - 1829, LIT Verlag Münster, 2010 page 257
  3. 1 2 3 Mario Katic, Tomislav Klarin, Mike McDonald: Pilgrimage and Sacred Places in Southeast Europe: History, Religious Tourism and Contemporary Trends, LIT Verlag Münster, Oct 1, 2014 page 207
  4. 1 2 Jelena Todorovic: An Orthodox Festival Book in the Habsburg Empire: Zaharija Orfelin's Festive Greeting to Mojsej Putnik (1757), Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2006 pages 12-13
  5. Bojan Aleksov: Religious Dissent Between the Modern and the National: Nazarenes in Hungary and Serbia 1850-1914, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006 page 33
  6. Aidan Nichols: Theology in the Russian Diaspora: Church, Fathers, Eucharist in Nikolai Afanasʹev (1893-1966), CUP Archive, 1989 page 49
  7. Augustine Casiday: The Orthodox Christian World, Routledge, Aug 21, 2012 page 135

Literature

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.