The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland or Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Austria and Switzerland ( sr, Српска православна епархија аустријско-швајцарска) is an

eparchy Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...

(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 en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

.КОНТАКТ." Diocese of Austria and Switzerland.
Retrieved on 19 September 2016. "SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH - DIOCESE OF AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND."

History

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 In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, migration of Eastern Orthodox

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

towards

n lands was caused by expansion of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. 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 The House of Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Бранковић, Brankovići / Бранковићи, ) is a Serbian medieval noble family and dynasty. According to genealogies created in the first half of the 15th century, the family descends via female l ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

. Often accompanied by their priests, exiled Serbian families created first Eastern Orthodox cells in Austrian lands. During the period of

Ottoman–Habsburg wars The Ottoman–Habsburg wars were fought from the 16th through the 18th centuries between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, which was at times supported by the Kingdom of Hungary, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Habsburg Spai ...

(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 Arsenije ( sr-cyr, Арсеније; ) is a Serbian given name, a variant of the Greek name ''Arsenios''. Diminutives of the name include ''Arsen'', ''Arsa'' and ''Arso''. It may refer to: *Arsenije Sremac (d. 1266), second Archbishop of the Serbi ...

visited Austrian capital (

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) on several occasions, and died there in 1706. Serbian Orthodox metropolitan

Isaija Đaković Isaija Đaković or Isaija I (Grabovac, near Stari Slankamen, Habsburg monarchy, 1635 – Vienna, Habsburg Monarchy, 20 July 1708) was elected to the rank of Metropolitan of Krušedol ( Karlovci) in 1708. Isaija is best remembered as the first S ...

, who visited Austrian capital on several occasions since 1690, also died in Vienna, in 1708. 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 The Metropolitanate of Karlovci ( sr, Карловачка митрополија, Karlovačka mitropolija) was a metropolitanate of the Eastern Orthodox Church that existed in the Habsburg monarchy between 1708 and 1848. Between 1708 and 1713 ...

References

Literature

* * * *

External links

Diocese of Austria and Switzerland

Handover of the newly established Diocese of Austria-Switzerland

Constitutional session of diocesan bodies of the Diocese of Austria-Switzerland held in Vienna

Bishop Andrej of Austria-Switzerland enthroned

Biography of newly-elected Serbian Orthodox Bishop Andrej (Cilerdzic) of Austria-Switzerland
Religious sees of the Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian Orthodox Church in Austria Serbian Orthodox Church in Switzerland Serbian Orthodox Church in Italy {{christianity-stub

History

See also

References

Literature

External links