Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland

Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland
Location
TerritoryAustria, Switzerland, Italy and Malta
HeadquartersVienna, Austria
Information
DenominationEastern Orthodox
Sui iuris churchSerbian Orthodox Church
Established2011
CathedralCathedral of Saint Sava, Vienna
LanguageChurch Slavonic
Serbian
Current leadership
BishopAndrej Ćilerdžić
Map
Eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Western, Central and Northern Europe
Website
Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Austria and Switzerland (Serbian: Српска православна епархија аустријско-швајцарска) is an eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church, created in 2011, with jurisdiction over Serbian Orthodox churches in Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Malta. Its headquarters are located in Vienna, Austria.[1]

In 2022, 2.6% of the Swiss population were Orthodox Christian or Old-Oriental Christian.[2]

History

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Serbian Orthodox Church has a long historical presence on the territory of modern Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland. By the end of the Middle Ages, migration of Eastern Orthodox Serbs towards Austrian lands was caused by expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Exiled members of Serbian royal and noble families were welcomed by Habsburg rulers, who granted them new possessions. In 1479, emperor Friedrich III granted castle Weitensfeld in Carinthia to exiled members of Branković dynasty of Serbia. Often accompanied by their priests, exiled Serbian families created first Eastern Orthodox cells in Austrian lands.[3]

During the period of Ottoman–Habsburg wars (from 16th to 18th century), Habsburg policy towards Eastern Orthodox Serbs was marked by special interests, related to complex political and religious situation in various regions of the expanding Habsburg monarchy. Emperor Leopold I issued several charters (1690, 1691, 1695) to Eastern Orthodox Serbs, who sided with Habsburgs during the Vienna War (1683–1699), granting them religious freedom in the Monarchy. Serbian Orthodox patriarch Arsenije III visited Austrian capital (Vienna) on several occasions, and died there in 1706.[4]

Serbian Orthodox metropolitan Isaija Đaković, who visited Austrian capital on several occasions since 1690, also died in Vienna, in 1708.[5] During the 18th and 19th century, communities of ethnic Serbs were developing in several Austrian cities, consisted mainly of merchants, officers and students, who were under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "КОНТАКТ." Diocese of Austria and Switzerland. Retrieved on 19 September 2016. "Serbian Orthodox Church - Diocese of Austria and Switzerland."
  2. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  3. ^ Jireček 1918, p. 245.
  4. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 143-150.
  5. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 143, 150.
  6. ^ Stiegnitz & Kosinski 1990, p. 22-23.

Literature

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  • Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9781405142915.
  • Jireček, Constantin (1918). Geschichte der Serben. Vol. 2. Gotha: Perthes.
  • Stiegnitz, Peter; Kosinski, Danuta (1990). Religions in Austria. Vienna: Federal Press Service.
  • Todorović, Jelena (2006). An Orthodox Festival Book in the Habsburg Empire: Zaharija Orfelin's Festive Greeting to Mojsej Putnik (1757). Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9780754656111.
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