List of archbishops of the Archbishopric of Ohrid
Encyclopedia
The Archbishop of Ohrid is a historic title given to the primate
of the Archbishopric of Ohrid.
The archbishopric was established in 1018 by lowering of the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate and its subjugation to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The autocephaly of the Ohrid Archbishopric remained respected during the periods of Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian and Ottoman rule over the region of Macedonia
and continued to exist until its abolition in 1767.
Today, the primates
of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
and Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
are both claimants to the title of Archbishop of Ohrid.
by Macedonian priests and the Serbian Patriarch German
in 1959 in Skopje
. The Archbishop Dositheus II
was enthroned as Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, continuing in the lineage of the Archbishops of Ohrid.
In 1962, the Serbian Patriarch German and Russian Patriarch Alexius I visited the Macedonian Orthodox Church on the feast of Saints Methodius and Cyril
in Ohrid
. The two patriarchs and the Macedonian Archbishop Dositheus II celebrated Holy Liturgy
marking the first occasion where the leader of the Macedonian church met with heads of other Orthodox churches.
from the Serbian Orthodox Church
, a move which was not acknowledged by the Serbian church and most other Orthodox Churches.
and the Serbian Orthodox Church
. Whereas the Holy Synod of the Macedonian church rejected an agreement where the Macedonian church could enjoy recognition as autonomous under the control of the Serbian church, one bishop
broke ranks and agreed to form another church under the tutelage of the Patriarchate of Peć
.
The Macedonian Orthodox Church
has had issues with the Serbian Orthodox Church
after the separation and declaration of autocephaly in 1967. After the negotiations between the two churches were suspended, the Serbian church recognized the group led by Archbishop John of Ohrid, a former bishop of the Macedonian church. The Serbian church recognized Vraniškovski's breakaway group as the restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and gave him the title of John VI, Archbishop of Ohrid.
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of the Archbishopric of Ohrid.
The archbishopric was established in 1018 by lowering of the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate and its subjugation to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The autocephaly of the Ohrid Archbishopric remained respected during the periods of Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian and Ottoman rule over the region of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and continued to exist until its abolition in 1767.
Today, the primates
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric or just Macedonian Orthodox Church is the body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, exercising jurisdiction over Macedonian Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and in exarchates in the Macedonian...
and Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric
The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese in the Republic of Macedonia...
are both claimants to the title of Archbishop of Ohrid.
First Slavic Bishops, 893–997
| Name | Start of Reign | End of Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Clement of Ohrid Clement of Ohrid Saint Clement of Ohrid was a medieval Bulgarian saint, scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs. He was the most prominent disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets, especially their popularisation among... Sveti Kliment Ohridski |
893 | 916 | Bishop of Ohrid | |
| Philip Filip |
997 | Bishop of Ohrid | ||
Archbishopric of Ohrid, 1018–1767
| Name | Start of Reign | End of Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John I of Debar Ivan I Debranin John I Debranin was an 11th-century Bulgarian clergyman. He became the first Archbishop of Ochrid after the fall of the First Bulgarian Empire to Byzantium. According to 17th-century French historian du Cange John Debranin was born in a village around the town of Debar in present-day Republic of... Jovan I |
1018 | 1037 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Leo Leo of Ohrid Leo of Ohrid was a leading 11th century churchman and advocate of the Eastern Orthodox view.He is first noted as holding a position in the Hagia Sophia. In 1037 he was consecrated as autocephalous archbishop of "the whole of Bulgaria", becoming the first Archbishop of Ohrid... Lav |
1037 | 1056 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Theodulus I Teodul I |
1056 | 1065 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| John II Lampinus Jovan II Lampinos |
1065 | 1078 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| John III Jovan III |
1078 | 1079 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Theophylact Teofilakt |
1084 | 1107 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Leo II Mung Leo II Mung Leo II Mung was the Archbishop of Ochrid from 1108-1120.During this time Bulgaria was under the rule of the Byzantine Empire and often attacked by Pechenegs and other barbarian tribes.Leo commissioned the making of a famous icon of the Virgin.... Lav Mung |
1108 | 1120 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Michael Maximus Mihail Maksim |
1120 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| John IV Komnenos Jovan IV Komnin |
1143 | 1160 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Constantine I Konstantin I |
1160 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Јоhn V Kamateros Јovan V Kamatir |
1183 | 1216 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Demetrios Chomatianos Dimitar Homatijan |
1216 | 1234 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Joannicius Joanikij |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Sergius Sergej |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Constantine II Kavasilas Konstantin II Kavasila |
1255 1260 |
1259 1282 |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Jacob Proarchius Jakov Proarhij |
1275 | 1285 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Hadrian Adrijan |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Gennadius Genadij |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Macarius Makarij |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Anthimus Metochites Antim Metohit |
1341 | 1346 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Nicholas I Nikolaj I |
1346 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Gregory II Grigorij II |
1364/65 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Matthew Matej |
1408 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Nicodemus Nikodim |
1452 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Dositheos I Dositej I |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Dorotheos Dorotej |
1466 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Mark Xylokaravis Marko Ksilokaraf |
1466 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Nicholas II Nikolaj II |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Zacharius Zaharij |
1486 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Prochorus Prohor |
1528 | 1550 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Simeon | 1550 | 1557 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Nicanor Nikanor |
1557 | 1565 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Paisius Pajsij |
1565 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Parthenius I Partenij I |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Sophronius Sofronij |
1567 | 1572 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Gabriel Gavril |
1572 | 1588 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Theodulus II Teodul II |
1588 | 1590 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Gregory III Grigorij III |
1590 | 1593 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Joachim Joakim |
1593 | 1596 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Athanasius I Atanasij I |
1596 | 1598 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Varlaam | 1598 | 1598 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Nectarius I Nektarij I |
1598 | 1613 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Metrophanes Mitrofan |
1614 | 1616 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Nectarius II Nektarij II |
1616 | 1624 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Porphyrius Palaiologos Porfirij Paleolog |
1624 | 1627 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| George Georgij |
1627 | 1628 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Joasaph Georgij |
1628 | 1629 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Abraham Mesaps Avramij Mesaps |
1629 | 1637 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Meletius I Meletij I |
1637 | 1643 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Chariton Hariton |
1643 | 1650 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Daniel Daniel |
1650 | 1652 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Dionysius I Dionisij I |
1652 | 1653 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Athanasius II Atanasij II |
1653 | Archbishop of Ohrid | ||
| Paphnutius Pafnutij |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |||
| Ignatius I Ignatij I |
1660 | 1663 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Arsenius I Arsenij I |
1663 | 1663 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Zosimus Zosim |
1663 | 1670 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Panaretus | 1671 | 1673 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Nectarius III Nektarij III |
1673 | 1676 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Ignatius II Ignatij II |
1676 | 1676 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Teophanes Teofan |
1676 | 1676 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Meletius II Meletij II |
1676 | 1677 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Parthenius II Partenij II |
1677 | 1683 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Gregory IV Grigorij IV |
1683 | 1688 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Germanus German |
1688 | 1691 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Gregory V Grigorij V |
1691 | 1693 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Ignatius III Ignatij III |
1693 1703 |
1695 1706 |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Zosimus II Zosim II |
1695 1707 |
1699 1708 |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Raphael Rafail |
1699 | 1702 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Germanus II German II |
1702 | 1702 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Dionysius II Dionisij II |
1706 1709 |
1706 1714 |
Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Methodius I Metodijus I |
1708 | 1708 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Philotheus Filotej |
1714 | 1718 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Joasaph II Joasaf II |
1719 | 1745 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Joseph Josif |
1746 | 1752 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Dionysius III Dionisij III |
1752 | 1756 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Methodius II Metodijus II |
1757 | 1758 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Cyril Kiril |
1759 | 1762 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Jeremy Ieremija |
1763 | 1763 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Ananias Ananij |
1763 | 1763 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
| Arsenius II Arsenij II |
1763 | 1767 | Archbishop of Ohrid | |
Macedonian Orthodox Church
Macedonian Orthodox Church (autonomous), 1959–1967
In 1959, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was declared as the restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. The declaration was celebrated in a common liturgyLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
by Macedonian priests and the Serbian Patriarch German
Patriarch German
Patriarch German was the 43rd Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1958 to 1990. Nicknamed the red patriarch by his opponents, he was successful in revitalizing the Serbian Orthodox Church to a certain extent during the Communist period, despite two schisms that occurred during his...
in 1959 in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
. The Archbishop Dositheus II
Archbishop Dositheus II
Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia Very Rev. Dositheus II was the first Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia and once primate of the Macedonian Orthodox Church....
was enthroned as Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, continuing in the lineage of the Archbishops of Ohrid.
In 1962, the Serbian Patriarch German and Russian Patriarch Alexius I visited the Macedonian Orthodox Church on the feast of Saints Methodius and Cyril
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
in Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
. The two patriarchs and the Macedonian Archbishop Dositheus II celebrated Holy Liturgy
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
marking the first occasion where the leader of the Macedonian church met with heads of other Orthodox churches.
| Name | Start of Reign | End of Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dositheus II Dositej II |
1958 | 1967 | Dimitrija Stojkovski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
Macedonian Orthodox Church (self-proclaimed autocephalous), since 1967
On 19 July 1967, in Ohrid, the Macedonian Orthodox Church declared autocephalyAutocephaly
Autocephaly , in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop...
from the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
, a move which was not acknowledged by the Serbian church and most other Orthodox Churches.
| Name | Start of Reign | End of Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dositheus II Dositej II |
1967 | 1981 | Dimitrija Stojkovski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Angelarios Angelarij |
1981 | 1986 | Cvetko Krstevski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Gabriel II Gavril II |
1986 | 1992 | Gjorgji Milošev | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Michael Mihail |
1993 | 1999 | Metodija Gogov | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
| Stephen Stefan |
1999 | current | Stojan Veljanovski | Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia |
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, since 2005
The Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric was formed in 2002 following a failure in negotiations between the Macedonian Orthodox ChurchMacedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric or just Macedonian Orthodox Church is the body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, exercising jurisdiction over Macedonian Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and in exarchates in the Macedonian...
and the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
. Whereas the Holy Synod of the Macedonian church rejected an agreement where the Macedonian church could enjoy recognition as autonomous under the control of the Serbian church, one bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
broke ranks and agreed to form another church under the tutelage of the Patriarchate of Peć
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
.
The Macedonian Orthodox Church
Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric or just Macedonian Orthodox Church is the body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, exercising jurisdiction over Macedonian Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and in exarchates in the Macedonian...
has had issues with the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
after the separation and declaration of autocephaly in 1967. After the negotiations between the two churches were suspended, the Serbian church recognized the group led by Archbishop John of Ohrid, a former bishop of the Macedonian church. The Serbian church recognized Vraniškovski's breakaway group as the restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and gave him the title of John VI, Archbishop of Ohrid.
| Name | Start of Reign | End of Reign | Birth Name | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John VI Jovan VI |
2005 | current | Zoran Vraniškovski | Archbishop of Ohrid |