The Archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church () is the central repository

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...

of the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

, located in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

History

The archivse developed on the foundations of the central archives of the

Metropolitanate of Belgrade The Metropolitanate of Belgrade () was an Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical province (metropolitanate) which existed between 1831 and 1920, with jurisdiction over the territory of Principality and Kingdom of Serbia. It was formed in 1831, when t ...

after the 1920 reunification of the

Patriarchate of Karlovci The Patriarchate of Karlovci () or Serbian Patriarchate of Sremski Karlovci (), was a patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church that existed between 1848 and 1920. It was formed when the Metropolitanate of Karlovci was elevated to the rank of ...

in the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, the Metropolitanate of Belgrade in the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

, and the

Metropolitanate of Montenegro The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church () is the largest eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church in modern Montenegro. Founded in 1219 by Saint Sava as the Eparchy of Zeta, it has continued to ex ...

in the

Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...

into single Serbian Orthodox Church within the newly established

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its collo ...

. The archives primarily contain important documents from the early 19th century onwards crucial for understanding the ecclesiastical and secular history. The archives receive support in their work from the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

and the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities. The archives in their current form of an independent institution were developed only in 2007 and the agreement between the Church with the Ministry of Culture and the

State Archives of Serbia The State Archives of Serbia (), аre the national archives of Serbia, located in Belgrade. Тhey house and protect documents and other archival materials produced by state bodies and organizations of Serbia before 1918 (before Serbia became par ...

which ensured personnel and appropriate staff to manage archival work missing within the church hierarchy. The archival materials were initially kept at the residence of the Archbishop of Serbia and Metropolitan of Belgrade until 1935 when they were transferred to Kralja Petra I Street 5. The central facilities of the archive at the Kralja Petra Street in Belgrade hold just a fraction of the total collection of the archives, which spans two to three kilometres in length. Remaining archival collection was moved from the Building of the Patriarchate to the gallery of the St. Mark's Church in 1989. The unprofessional transport of the archives led to many items being scattered, and some documents disappeared without a trace. For nearly two and a half decades, the valuable archive, which provides insights into the ecclesiastical, social, demographic, diplomatic, and political history of modern Serbia and Serb people in neighbouring countries, remained in dust, neglected and uncared for motivating state institutions to get involved. The formal agreement was signed on 14 December 2007 with Serbian Orthodox Church represented by the Metropolitan Bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral

Amfilohije Radović Amfilohije ( sr-Cyrl, Амфилохије; , English: Amphilochius; born Risto Radović, 7 January 193830 October 2020) was a bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, theologian, university professor, author and translator. He was first the Bisho ...

and state institutions by the

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

Vojislav Brajović Vojislav "Voja" Brajović ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав "Воја" Брајовић; born 11 May 1949) is a Serbian actor. Career Brajović graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Drama Arts in 1971. He has been member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre ...

, and the director of the State Archives of Serbia, Miroslav Perišić. In 2019, this material was moved from the St. Mark's Church to the newly reconstructed ''Svetosavski dom'' building in

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

, building built between 1907 and 1909 and listed as a cultural monument in its own rights.

References

External links

Official website
{{Religious architecture in Belgrade

Buildings and structures in Belgrade History of the Serbian Orthodox Church

History

See also

References

External links