Christianity in Serbia

During the Diocletianic Persecution in 304, Sirmium became a place of martyrdom for Saint Irenaeus, Anastasia, and Fausta. Not much before 313 while emperor Licinius was present in Singidunum, he oversaw trial and murder of deacon Hermylus and Stratonicus whose bodies were thrown in the Danube but resurfaced downriver and were later buried by Christians and venerated as saints. Successor of Irenaeus as bishop of Sirmium was Domnus who attended the First Council of Nicaea. By the mid 4th century, Christian communities on territory of modern-day Serbia were numerous and influential. Sirmium, Singidunum, Naissus, Viminacium, Remesiana, Horreum Margi, Margum are all mentioned as bishoprics by 343.^[2] Bishops Germinius of Sirmium and Ursacius of Singidunum were influential in then ongoing Arian controversy. Four ecclesiastical Councils of Sirmium were important events for whole Christendom. Bishop Nicetas of Remesiana during his long tenure (366–420) contributed much to the spread of Christianity in the region and earliest mention of monastic communities dates from his time.

Bishopric of Sirmium lost much influence once Huns raided the city in 441/442. In 535 a new Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima was established and was given jurisdiction over most of aforementioned bishoprics.^[3] Many new churches and basilicas were built during the reign of emperor Justinian I. However mere decades later entire established ecclesiastic structure collapsed under the impact of Avar raids and Slavic settlement that followed. The last known archbishop of Justiniana Prima and indeed of any bishopric on territory of modern-day Serbia for centuries to come was Ioannes (c. 595-602/3). In 733, Leo III attached Illyricum to Patriarch Anastasius of Constantinople.^[4]

The establishment of Christianity as state religion dates to the time of Eastern Orthodox missionaries Cyril and Methodius during reign of Basil I (r. 867–886),^[5] who baptised the Serbs sometime before sending imperial admiral Niketas Ooryphas to Prince Mutimir for aid in the war against the Saracens in 869, after acknowledging the suzerainty of the Byzantine Empire. The fleets and land forces of Zachlumia, Travunia and Konavli were sent to fight the Saracens who attacked the town of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) in 869, on the immediate request of Basil I, who was asked by the Ragusians for help.^[6] A Serbian bishopric of Ras may have been founded in Stari Ras in 871 by Serbian Prince Mutimir, confirmed by the Council of Constantinople in 879–80.^[3][7] The adherence is evident in the tradition of theophoric names in the next generation of Serbian princes and nobles; Petar Gojniković, Stefan Mutimirović, Pavle Branović. Mutimir maintained the communion with the Eastern Church (Constantinople) when Pope John VIII invited him to recognize the jurisdiction of the bishopric of Sirmium. The Serbs and Bulgarians adopted the Old Slavonic liturgy instead of the Greek.^[8][9] A Seal of Strojimir (died between 880 and 896), the brother of Mutimir, was bought by the Serbian state in an auction in Germany. The seal has a Patriarchal cross in the center and Greek inscriptions that say: "Strojimir" (CTPOHMIP) and "God, Help Serbia".^[10][11]

Notable early church building is Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul near modern-day city of Novi Pazar, built at the beginning of the 9th century.^[12]

In 1019, the Archbishopric of Ohrid was established after the Byzantines conquered the First Bulgarian Empire and the Greek language replaced the Slavic in liturgy.^[6] Serbia was ecclesiastically administered into several dioceses; the Diocese of Ras, mentioned in 1019, became part of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and encompassed the southwest of the modern-day Serbia. Among the first bishops were Leontius (fl. 1123–1126), Cyril (fl. 1141–1143), Euthemius (fl. 1170), and Kalinik (fl. 1196). It was attached to the autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric (precursor of the Serbian Orthodox Church) in 1219, founded by Saint Sava.^[3]

• Religion in Serbia