Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro
Eastern Orthodoxy presence in Montenegro
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The Eastern Orthodoxy is by far the largest religious denomination in Montenegro. According to the 2023 census, there were 443,394 adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro, making up 71.1% of the population.[1]
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The Serbian Orthodox Church is the sole Eastern Orthodox canonical jurisdiction in the territory of Montenegro, although canonically unrecognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church also has some limited presence.
Demographics
The published data from the 2023 Census included a crosstab of ethnicity and religion,[2] which showed that Eastern Orthodox believers were divided between the following ethnic groups:
- 211,398 Montenegrins (47.6%)
- 203,990 Serbs (46%)
- 8,587 Russians (1.9%)
- 2,393 Ukrainians (0.5%)
- 1,692 Serbs-Montenegrins (0.4%)
- 1,246 Montenegrins-Serbs (0.3%)
- 14,088 others, undeclared or unknown (3.1%)
Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro
The Serbian Orthodox Church, to which the overwhelming majority of Eastern Orthodox Christians in the country adhere, exercise its jurisdiction in the territory of Montenegro through the following dioceses:
- Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral; seat in Cetinje and the episcopal see at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica.
- Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić; seat in Berane and the episcopal see at the Saint Basil of Ostrog Cathedral in Nikšić.
- Eparchy of Mileševa; partially covering northwestern corner of Montenegro, corresponding to the Pljevlja Municipality.
- Eparchy of Zachlumia, Herzegovina, and the Littoral; partially covering southwestern corner of Montenegro, corresponding to small coastal region of Sutorina.
Ostrog Monastery, near Nikšić, is the single most visited pilgrimage site within the Serbian Orthodox Church, receiving 1 to 1.2 million people annually.[3][4]
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
Montenegrin Orthodox Church, established in 1993 as a non-governmental organization,[5] remains to this day canonically unrecognized church.[6][7] It has a relatively low level of adherence among the Eastern Orthodox population in the country, estimated at 10% according to 2020 poll.[8]
