Archbishop of Ohrid

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.

Contents

First Slavic Bishops, 893–997

Name Start of Reign End of Reign Birth Name Title
Saint Clement of Ohrid
Sveti Kliment Ohridski
893 916 Bishop of Ohrid
Philip
Filip
997 Bishop of Ohrid

Archbishopric of Ohrid, 1018–1767

Dorotheos, the Archbishop of Ohrid, and his clerks and boyars were expatriated to Istanbul in 1466 because their anti-Ottoman activities during Skanderbeg's rebellion.[1]

Name Start of Reign End of Reign Birth Name Title
John I of Debar
Jovan I
1018 1037 Archbishop of Ohrid
Leo
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
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 liturgy 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.

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 autocephaly from the Serbian Orthodox Church, 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 Church 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.

Name Start of Reign End of Reign Birth Name Title
John VI
Jovan VI
2005 current Zoran Vraniškovski Archbishop of Ohrid

References

  1. ^ Shukarova, Aneta; Mitko B. Panov, Dragi Georgiev, Krste Bitovski, Academician Ivan Katardziev, Vanche Stojchev, Novica Veljanovski, Todor Chepreganov (2008) Todor Chepreganov ed. History of the Macedonian People Skopje: Institute of National History p. 133 ISBN 9989159246 OCLC 276645834 http://www.scribd.com/doc/66035878/History-of-The-Macedonian-People-ed-Todor-Chepreganov-Institute-of-National-History-Skopje-2008. Retrieved 26. December 2011 "deportation of the Archbishop of Ohrid, Dorotei, to Istanbul in 1466, to-gether with other clerks and bolyars who probably were expatriated be-cause of their anti Ottoman acts during the Skender-Bey’s rebellion." 

See also