North Macedonia.
North Macedonia is a majority-Orthodox nation whose faithful are served by the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archbishopric of Ohrid, which was reintegrated into the canonical Eastern Orthodox communion in 2022.
Orthodoxy in
North Macedonia.
A living tradition — its history, its faithful, its sacred places.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the largest religious tradition in North Macedonia and a central element of Macedonian national identity. Its roots in the region reach back to the earliest centuries of Slavic Christianization, and its contemporary expression is embodied by the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archbishopric of Ohrid (MOC-AO).
Historical background
The Christianization of the Slavs of the central Balkans is inseparable from the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples, above all Saints Clement and Naum of Ohrid, who in the ninth and tenth centuries established a flourishing centre of Slavonic letters and liturgy on the shores of Lake Ohrid. Following the fall of the First Bulgarian Empire, Byzantine Emperor Basil II acknowledged the autocephalous status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and set up its boundaries, dioceses, property and other privileges. The Archbishopric was seated in Ohrid in the Byzantine theme of Bulgaria and was established in 1019 by lowering the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate and its subjugation to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In 1767, the Ohrid Archbishopric was abolished by the Ottoman authorities and annexed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and later Yugoslavia, the territory fell under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Twentieth-century struggle for autocephaly
In 1945, the first clergy and people's synod met and adopted a resolution for the restoration of the Ohrid Archbishopric as a Macedonian Orthodox Church. In 1959, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church granted autonomy to the Macedonian Orthodox Church in the then-Socialist Republic of Macedonia, as the restoration of the historic Archbishopric of Ohrid; the MOC was united with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) as a part of the SOC.
In 1967, on the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, the Macedonian Holy Synod unilaterally announced its autocephaly from the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian synod denounced the decision and condemned the clergy as schismatic. Thenceforth, the Macedonian Church had remained unrecognised by all mainstream Eastern Orthodox churches for 55 years.
Reconciliation and canonical status
The Macedonian Orthodox Church was formally reintegrated into the mainstream Eastern Orthodox community in 2022. The Ecumenical Patriarchate accepted the MOC into communion and recognised North Macedonia as its canonical territory. The schism between the Serbian and Macedonian churches ended, while the MOC was restored as an autonomous part of the Serbian church according to its 1959 status. Afterwards, the Serbian Orthodox Church officially granted autocephaly to the MOC, though not all autocephalous churches have recognised this autocephaly.
In addition to the Church of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the canonicity of the MOC was recognised by the Patriarchate of Antioch in October 2022, and the Georgian and Albanian Orthodox Churches in February 2023.
Current state
According to the 2021 national census, 46.1 percent of the population is Orthodox Christian, the overwhelming majority of whom are followers of the MOC-OA. The primate of the Macedonian Orthodox Church is Stefan Veljanovski, the Metropolitan of Skopje and Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia.
Famous Orthodox churches and monasteries in North Macedonia
The sacred architecture of Orthodox North Macedonia — cathedrals, parishes, and the mountain monasteries that keep the lamps burning.
- Church of Saint Sophia, Ohrid — The Church of Saint Sophia (Macedonian: Црква Света Софија, romanized: Crkva Sveta Sofija) is a church in Ohrid, North Macedonia. The main part of the church was built in the 11th century, while external additions were built by Archbishop Gregory II in the 14th century. It served as the cathedral of the medieval Archbishopric of Ohrid.
- Monastery of Saint Naum, Lake Ohrid — The Monastery of Saint Naum (Macedonian: Манастир „Свети Наум") is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery. It is named after the medieval Bulgarian writer and enlightener Saint Naum who founded it. It stands on the southern shore of Lake Ohrid near the Albanian border and houses the tomb of St Naum.
- Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski (St John the Forerunner), Rostuše — A historic monastery in western Macedonia dedicated to the Forerunner. The monastery preserves the icon of St. John the Baptist (the Forerunner), believed to have healing properties and said to have guided the founders in choosing the site. It is renowned for its elaborately carved wooden iconostasis.
- Church of Saint Panteleimon, Gorno Nerezi (Skopje) — The Church of Saint Panteleimon (Macedonian: Црква Свети Пантелеjмон, romanized: Crkva Sveti Pantelejmon) in Gorno Nerezi, North Macedonia, is a small 12th-century Byzantine church located in a monastery complex. Built in 1164, is dedicated to the patron saint of physicians, St. Panteleimon, and is celebrated for its expressive Komnenian-era frescoes.
- Cathedral Church of Saint Clement of Ohrid, Skopje — The Church of Saint Clement of Ohrid (Macedonian: Соборна црква – Свети Климент Охридски, romanized: Soborna crkva – Sveti Kliment Ohridski), often called simply Soborna Crkva (Соборна црква), located in Skopje, North Macedonia, is the largest cathedral of the Macedonian Orthodox Church today. Construction began in 1972 and it serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Ohrid in the capital.
Orthodoxy
kept here.
The shape of the faith as it is lived and prayed across North Macedonia today.
Orthodoxy in North Macedonia is organised around the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archbishopric of Ohrid, which understands itself as the direct heir of the medieval Archbishopric of Ohrid founded in 1019. The Macedonian Orthodox Church claims ecclesiastical jurisdiction over North Macedonia, and is also represented in the Macedonian diaspora. Liturgical services are celebrated principally in Church Slavonic and in contemporary Macedonian, and the church follows the Julian (Old) Calendar for fixed feasts.
The church is organised into multiple dioceses both within the country and abroad. The 10 dioceses of the MOC are governed by ten bishops, with around 500 active priests in about 500 parishes with over 2000 churches and monasteries. Monastic life has been revitalised in recent decades, with historic houses such as Saint Jovan Bigorski and Saint Naum at Lake Ohrid playing a prominent role in the spiritual life of the nation.
North Macedonia is a secular state, but Orthodoxy occupies a central place in public culture and in the self-understanding of ethnic Macedonians. According to the 2021 national census, 46.1 percent of the population is Orthodox Christian, the overwhelming majority of whom are followers of the MOC-OA; Muslims, chiefly among ethnic Albanians, Turks and Roma, form the second-largest religious community.
Following the 2022 reconciliation with the rest of the Orthodox world, the Macedonian Church concelebrates regularly with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Serbian, Greek, Antiochian, Georgian and Albanian churches, while the status of its autocephaly continues to be received across the wider Orthodox communion.
Asked
of this land.
Frequently asked questions about Orthodoxy in North Macedonia
Which Orthodox Church do most Christians in North Macedonia belong to?
The great majority belong to the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archbishopric of Ohrid (MOC-AO), whose primate is the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje.
Is the Macedonian Orthodox Church canonical?
The Macedonian Orthodox Church was formally reintegrated into the mainstream Eastern Orthodox community in 2022. The Ecumenical Patriarchate accepted the MOC into communion and recognised North Macedonia as its canonical territory. The Serbian Orthodox Church subsequently granted it autocephaly.
What language is used in the liturgy?
Services are celebrated primarily in Church Slavonic, the ancient liturgical language of the Slavs first cultivated by Saints Cyril, Methodius, Clement and Naum, together with modern Macedonian.
Which calendar does the Macedonian Orthodox Church follow?
The Macedonian Orthodox Church follows the Julian (Old) Calendar for fixed feasts, so that Christmas is celebrated on 7 January in the civil calendar. Pascha is calculated according to the traditional Orthodox Paschalion.
Who are the most venerated saints in North Macedonia?
Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, together with their disciples Saints Clement and Naum of Ohrid, are especially beloved as the enlighteners of the Slavs and the spiritual fathers of the Ohrid tradition.
How many Orthodox Christians live in North Macedonia?
According to the 2021 national census, 46.1 percent of the population is Orthodox Christian, which corresponds to roughly 847,000 faithful out of a total population of about 1.84 million.