Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe

Christian demonation on the continent

Part of a series on the

Eastern Orthodox Church

Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia

Overview

* Structure
* Theology (History of theology)
* Liturgy
* Church history
* Holy Mysteries
* View of Salvation
* View of Mary
* View of icons

Background

* Crucifixion / Resurrection / Ascension
of Jesus

* Christianity
* Christian Church
* Apostolic succession
* Four Marks of the Church
* Orthodoxy

Organization

* Autonomy
* Autocephaly
* Patriarchate
* Ecumenical Patriarch
* Episcopal polity
* Canon law
* Clergy
* Bishops
* Priests
* Deacons
* Monasticism
* Degrees
* Bratstvo

Autocephalous jurisdictions

Autocephalous Churches who are officially part of the communion:

* Constantinople
* Alexandria
* Antioch
* Jerusalem
* Russia
* Serbia
* Romania
* Bulgaria
* Georgia
* Cyprus
* Greece
* Poland
* Albania
* Czech Lands and Slovakia

Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure:

* America
* North Macedonia

Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches:

* Ukraine (OCU)

Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church:

* Ukraine (UOC)

Autonomous jurisdictions

* Sinai (JP)
* Finland (EP)
* Estonia (EP)
* Japan (MP)
* China (MP)
* Americas (RP)
* Bessarabia (RP)
* Moldova (MP)

Semi-Autonomous:

* Crete (EP)
* Estonia (MP)
* ROCOR (MP)

Episcopal assemblies

* Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania
* Austria
* Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg
* Canada
* France
* Germany
* Great Britain and Ireland
* Italy and Malta
* Latin America
* Scandinavia
* Spain and Portugal
* Switzerland and Liechtenstein
* United States of America

Noncanonical jurisdictions

* Old Believers
* Spiritual Christianity
* True Orthodoxy
* Catacomb Church
* Old Calendarists
* American Orthodox Catholic Church
* American World Patriarchs

* National churches:

*     * Abkhazia
* Belarus
* Italy
* Latvia
* Montenegro
* Turkey
* UOC–KP

* Evangelical Orthodox

Ecumenical councils

* First Seven Ecumenical Councils:

* Nicaea I
* Constantinople I
* Ephesus
* Chalcedon
* Constantinople II
* Constantinople III
* Nicaea II

* Other possible ecumenical councils:

* Constantinople IV
* Constantinople V

* Other important councils:

* Quinisext Council
* Jassy
* Moscow
* Jerusalem
* Constantinople (1872)

History

* Church Fathers
* Pentarchy
* Byzantine Empire
* Christianization of Georgia
* Christianization of Bulgaria
* Christianization of Kievan Rus'
* Great Schism
* Russia
* Ottoman Empire
* North America
* Moscow–Constantinople schism
* 15th–16th c.
* 1996
* 2018

Theology

* History of Eastern Orthodox theology
* (20th century (Neo-Palamism))

* Apophaticism
* Chrismation
* Contemplative prayer
* Essence vs. Energies
* Hesychasm
* Holy Trinity
* Hypostatic union
* Icons
* Metousiosis
* Mystical theology
* Nicene Creed
* Nepsis
* Oikonomia vs Akribeia
* Ousia
* Palamism
* Philokalia
* Phronema
* Sin
* Theosis
* Theotokos

* Differences from the Catholic Church
* Opposition to the Filioque
* Opposition to papal supremacy

Liturgy and worship

* Divine Liturgy
* Divine Services

* Akathist
* Apolytikion
* Artos
* Ectenia
* Euchologion
* Holy Water
* Iconostasis
* Jesus Prayer
* Aprakos
* Kontakion
* Liturgical entrances
* Liturgical fans
* Lity
* Memorial service
* Memory Eternal
* Omophorion
* Eastern Orthodox bowing
* Eastern Orthodox marriage
* Praxis
* Paraklesis
* Paschal greeting
* Paschal Homily
* Paschal troparion
* Prayer rope
* Prosphora
* Russian bell ringing
* Semantron
* Sign of the cross
* Sticheron
* Troparion
* Vestments
* Use of incense

Liturgical calendar

* Paschal cycle
* 12 Great Feasts
* Other feasts:

* Feast of Orthodoxy
* Intercession of the Theotokos

* The four fasting periods:

* Nativity Fast
* Great Lent
* Apostles' Fast
* Dormition Fast

Major figures

Saints (Russian (until 15th century), Russian (post-15th century), Serbian, American)

* Justin Martyr
* Athanasius of Alexandria
* Ephraim the Syrian
* Basil of Caesarea
* Cyril of Jerusalem
* Gregory of Nazianzus
* Gregory of Nyssa
* John Chrysostom
* Cyril of Alexandria
* John Climacus
* Maximus the Confessor
* John of Damascus
* Theodore the Studite
* Kassia
* Cyril and Methodius
* Photius I of Constantinople
* Vladimir the Great
* Sava I of Serbia
* Gregory Palamas
* Innocent of Alaska

Other topics

* Architecture
* Folk
* Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs
* Cross
* Saint titles
* Statistics by country

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe[image reference needed] Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Gračanica

The Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe constitutes the second largest Christian denomination. European Eastern Orthodox Christians are predominantly present in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and they are also significantly represented in diaspora throughout the Continent. The term Eastern Orthodox Europe is informally used to describe the predominantly Eastern Orthodox countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.

## History

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023)

|

Almost all of Eastern Orthodox Europe became part of communist states after World War II, either through direct annexation by the USSR or indirect Soviet dominance through satellite states.[1]

## Eastern Orthodoxy in Orthodox majority countries

[edit]

* Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova, 97.0% (2017 census)[2]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece, 90%[2]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Serbia, 84.6% (2011 census)[3]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Georgia, 83.4% (2014 census)[4]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Romania, 81.0% (2015 census)[5]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia, 79% (est.)[2]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Bulgaria, 77% (2011 census)[6]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Cyprus, 73.2% (est.)[7]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Belarus, 73% (2011 census)[8]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro, 72.1% (2011 census)[9]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in North Macedonia, 69.6% (est.)[10]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Ukraine, 67.3% (est.)[11]

## Eastern Orthodoxy in non-Orthodox majority countries

[edit]

* Eastern Orthodoxy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31.0% (2013 census)[12]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Latvia, 19.4% (2011 census)[13]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Estonia, 16.15% (2011 census)[14]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Austria, 8.8% (2018 census)[15]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Albania, 8% (2023 census)[16]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Lithuania, 4.9% (2011 census)[17]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Croatia, 4.44% (2011 census)[citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Italy, 3.5% [citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Germany, 2.4%[18]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Slovenia, 2.3% (2002 census)[citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Spain, 2.2% (by Wikipedia)
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Poland, 1.5% (by Wikipedia)[citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in the Republic of Ireland, 1.3% (2017)[citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Finland, 1.09% (2020 census)[19]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Slovakia, 0.9% (2011 census)[20]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Norway, 0.22% (2012)[citation needed]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Armenia, 0.2% (2022 census)[21]
* Eastern Orthodoxy in Hungary, 0.1% (2011 census)[22]

## See also

[edit]

* Christianity portal
* Europe portal
* Religion portal

* Byzantine commonwealth
* Mount Athos

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Mary B. Cunningham; Elizabeth Theokritoff (18 December 2008). The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 15–. ISBN 978-0-521-86484-8.
2. ^ a b c "Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe". Pew Research Center. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
3. ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
4. ^ "საქართველოს მოსახლეობის საყოველთაო აღწერის საბოლოო შედეგები" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
5. ^ "Culte recunoscute oficial în România". Secretariatul de Stat pentru Culte (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2016-08-14.
6. ^ "NSI". Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
7. ^ Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project: Cyprus. Pew Research Center. 2010.
8. ^ Religion and denominations in the Republic of Belarus by the Commissioner on Religions and Nationalities of the Republic of Belarus from November 2011
9. ^ "Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Montenegro 2011" (PDF). Monstat. pp. 14, 15. Retrieved July 12, 2011. For the purpose of the chart, the categories 'Islam' and 'Muslims' were merged; 'Buddhist' (.02) and Other Religions were merged; 'Atheist' (1.24) and 'Agnostic' (.07) were merged; and 'Adventist' (.14), 'Christians' (.24), 'Jehovah Witness' (.02), and 'Protestants' (.02) were merged under 'Other Christian'.
10. ^ "Strategies of symbolic nation-building in West Balkan states: intents and results (completed) - Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages". www.hf.uio.no. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
11. ^ Особливості Релігійного І Церковно-Релігійного Самовизначення Українських Громадян: Тенденції 2010-2018 [Features of Religious and Church - Religious Self-Determination of Ukrainian Citizens: Trends 2010-2018] (PDF) (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Razumkov Center in collaboration with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches, 22 April 2018, pp. 12, 13, 16, 31, archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-26
12. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
13. ^ "Tieslietu ministrijā iesniegtie reliģisko organizāciju pārskati par darbību 2011. gadā" (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
14. ^ "Statistical database: Population Census 2000 – Religious affiliation". Statistics Estonia. 22 October 2002. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
15. ^ "In Österreich leben mehr Orthodoxe als Muslime". 13 September 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
16. ^ "Religious belief data/ What are the results of the 2023 Census". 28 June 2024.
17. ^ Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. "Ethnicity, mother tongue and religion". Archived from the original on 2014-10-08.. 2013-03-15.
18. ^ Gesellschaft Orthodoxe Medien e.V. im Auftrag der Orthodoxen Bischofskonferenz in Deutschland (Hrsg.): Orthodoxer Liturgischer Kalender 2017., 18. Jahrgang, 2016, S. III: In Deutschland können wir begründeten Hochrechnungen [zufolge] inzwischen von einer Zahl von bald an die zwei Millionen orthodoxer Christen ausgehen, die immer mehr in die hiesige Gesellschaft hineinwachsen und sich in ihr verwurzeln.
19. ^ "Belonging to a religious community by age and sex, 2000-2020". Tilastokeskuksen PX-Web tietokannat. Government. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2021. Note these are official state religious registration numbers, people may be registered yet not practicing/believing and they may be believing/practicing but not registered.
20. ^ "Table 14 Population by religion" (PDF). Statistical Office of the SR. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2012. Retrieved Jun 8, 2012.
21. ^ Republic of Armenia Census (Report). Statistical Committee - Republic of Armenia. 2022. Table 5.5.
22. ^ "1.26 Population by religion and sex, 1930–1949, 2001". Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2008.

## Sources

[edit]

* Victoria Clark (21 November 2011). Why Angels Fall: A Journey Through Orthodox Europe from Byzantium to Kosovo. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4472-1639-1.
* Jonathan Shepard (2007). The Expansion of Orthodox Europe: Byzantium, the Balkans and Russia. Ashgate Variorum. ISBN 978-0-7546-5920-4.
* Jonathan Sutton; William Peter van den Bercken (2003). Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Europe: Selected Papers of the International Conference Held at the University of Leeds, England, in June 2001. Peeters Publishers. pp. 92–. ISBN 978-90-429-1266-3.
* Alexandru Duţu (1 January 1998). Political Models and National Identities in "Orthodox Europe". Babel. ISBN 978-973-48-1042-0.
* Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate: A History of Its Metropolitanates with Annotated Hierarch Catalogs. Wildside Press LLC. ISBN 9781434458766.
* Obolensky, Dimitri (1974) [1971]. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500-1453. London: Cardinal. ISBN 9780351176449.
* Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Orthodox Church

Autocephalous and autonomous churches of Eastern Orthodoxy

Autocephalous churches|

| Four ancient patriarchates|

* Constantinople
* Bartholomew I
* Alexandria
* Theodore II
* Antioch
* John X
* Jerusalem
* Theophilos III

|

Junior patriarchates|

* Russia[a]
* Kirill
* Serbia
* Porfirije
* Bulgaria
* Daniil
* Romania
* Daniel
* Georgia
* Ilia II

Autocephalous
archdioceses/metropolises|

* Cyprus
* George
* Greece
* Ieronymos II
* Albania
* John
* Poland
* Sawa
* Czech Lands and Slovakia
* Rastislav
* America[b]
* Tikhon
* Ukraine[b]
* Epiphanius
* Ohrid[b]
* Stefan

Autonomous churches|

Sinai (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
Finland (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Estonian AOC (Ecumenical Patriarchate)[b]
Estonian COC (Moscow Patriarchate)[b]
Japan (Moscow Patriarchate)[b]
China (Moscow Patriarchate)[b]
Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate)[c]
Americas (Romanian Patriarchate)
Bessarabia (Romanian Patriarchate)[b]
Moldova (Moscow Patriarchate)[b]

Semi-autonomous churches
Crete (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (Moscow Patriarchate)[d]
North America (Antiochian Patriarchate)

Diaspora
Assemblies|

Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania
Austria
Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg
Canada
France
Germany
Great Britain and Ireland
Italy and Malta
Latin America
Scandinavia
Spain and Portugal
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
United States of America

History|

Apostles in the New Testament
First seven ecumenical councils
Church Fathers
Great Church
State church of the Roman Empire
East–West Schism
Raskol

Old Believers
Catacomb Church
Old Calendarists
Moscow–Constantinople schisms

15th–16th c.
1996
2018

Liturgy|

Byzantine Rite

Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
Liturgy of Saint Basil
Liturgy of Saint James
Liturgy of Saint Mark
Western Rite

Other|

* Unrecognized Eastern Orthodox churches
* Eastern Orthodoxy by country
* Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church

Christianity portal

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.
3. ^ UOC-MP was moved to formally cut ties with the ROC as of May 27th 2022.
4. ^ Semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church whose autonomy is not universally recognized.

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[est.]: estimation