Eastern Orthodoxy in Croatia

Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zagreb
Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Osijek
Church of the Holy Annunciation in Dubrovnik

The Eastern Orthodoxy is the second-largest religious denomination in Croatia, behind the Catholic Church. According to the 2021 census, there were 128,395 adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy in Croatia, making up 3.3% of the population.

The Serbian Orthodox Church is the sole Eastern Orthodox cannonical jurisdiction in the territory of Croatia, although Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Macedonian Orthodox Church are also recognized by the state.[1][2] During the World War II Nazi puppet Independent State of Croatia promoted the Croatian Orthodox Church, canonically unrecognized religious body, established as a part the genocide of Serbs policies in that state.

Demographics

The published data from the 2021 Croatian census included a crosstab of ethnicity and religion,[3] which showed that a total of 128,395 Eastern Orthodox believers (3.3% of the total population) was divided between the following ethnic groups:

Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia

The Serbian Orthodox Church exercise its jurisdiction in the territory of Croatia through the following dioceses:

There are over 600 Serbian Orthodox churches and other religious buildings in Croatia.[4] During the Croatian War of Independence, 84 of these churches were damaged or destroyed.[4] Of that number, 21 were completely demolished by explosives, 4 wooden churches were burned, 56 masonry churches were damaged or burned during and after the war and 3 churches were removed during or shortly after the conflict.[4] By 2025, 42 of the 84 affected buildings had been reconstructed or rebuilt.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ugovor između Vlade Republike Hrvatske i Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Hrvatskoj o pitanjima od zajedničkog interesa". Narodne novine - Službeni list Republike Hrvatske NN196/03 (in Croatian). Narodne novine. December 15, 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  2. ^ "Ugovor između Vlade Republike Hrvatske i Bugarske pravoslavne crkve u Hrvatskoj, Hrvatske starokatoličke crkve i Makedonske pravoslavne crkve u Hrvatskoj". Narodne novine - Službeni list Republike Hrvatske NN196/03 (in Croatian). Narodne novine. December 15, 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  3. ^ "Population by Ethnicity/Citizenship/Mother tongue/Religion" (xlsx). Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2021. Zagreb: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Filip Škiljan (2025). "Stradanje hramova Srpske pravoslavne crkve u ratu u Hrvatskoj 1991. - 1995. i poraću (1996. - 1997.)" [Destruction of Serb orthodox churches in the war in Croatia 1991 - 1995 and the immediate post-war period (1996 - 1997)]. Tragovi: Journal for Serbian and Croatian Topics (in Croatian). 8 (1): 7–46.

Sources