Orders, decorations, and medals of Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian: Одликовања Српске православне цркве) represents a system of decorations awarded by Holy Synod of Bishops of Serbian Orthodox Church as a general church or dioceses as their own decorations. In the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church (Article 55, item 10) from 1957 provides that church decorations and decorations are awarded by Serbian Patriarch, according to the decree prescribed by Holy Synod of Bishops. Proposals for the decoration of clergy are given by diocesan archbishops (archbishop, metropolitans, bishops), and the decision is made by Holy Synod of Bishops. Also, it is envisaged that Archbishops may decorate persons themselves, with those decorations whose award is within their competence, i.e. with diocesan decorations Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Article 108, item 12).
Serbian Orthodox Church did not award special decorations before 1945. With the coming to power of the communism in Yugoslavia, that is, the fall of the monarchy and the introduction of complete separation of state and church, there was a need for the introduction of special church recognitions in the form of decorations.
The first decoration Serbian Orthodox Church appeared in 1946, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the rise of the Serbian church from the archbishopric to the patriarchate, or the enthronement of the first Serbian Patriarch Joanikije. The "Order of the Holy Patriarch Ioannicius" was awarded only to dioceses in North America.
The Bishop of Raška and PrizrenArtemije Radosavljević established the first modern church decoration in the country, and that was the Medal of Mother Jugović, which was awarded to mothers with several children.
Since 1985 Holy Synod of Bishops Serbian Orthodox Church awards Order of Saint Sava, which was originally established as a state decoration, by decree king Milan Obrenović from 23 January 1883 and was awarded until 1945 when he continued to award it to the elder royal family Karađorđević as a dynastic decoration, so that today there are two orders of St. Sava: church and royal.
Order of Saint Peter of Cetinje – Awarded for missionary work, peacemaking, evangelization and personal feat.
Order of the Holy Stefan Lazarević – Awarded for science, culture, literature, translation and humanities.
Order of the Holy Empress Milica (Reverend Nun Evgenija) – It is awarded for acts of philanthropy.
Order of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-flowing – It is awarded to improve the relationship between church and state. It was once awarded by the Bishop of Šumadija, but it became a general church order.
Order of the Holy Emperor Constantine – Awarded for contribution to freedom of religion and human rights.
Order of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-flowing was once awarded by Bishop of Šumadija, but it has been translated into general church decorations.
Until the separation of Diocese of Šabac and Valjevo, the Diocese of Šabac and Valjevo awarded the Order of St. Nicholas of Serbia. After the separation of the two dioceses, both continued to award this order, with the same name but a different stylistic solution.[2]
^The ROC severed full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2018, and later severed full communion with the primates of the Church of Greece, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and the Church of Cyprus in 2020.
^ abcdefghAutocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.
^UOC-MP was moved to formally cut ties with the ROC as of May 27th 2022.
^ abSemi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church whose autonomy is not universally recognized.