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Patriarch of Serbia
His Holiness Pavle
After the missionary work of two brothers St.
Cyril and St. Methodios, the Church of Serbia
was enforced and organized by St. Sava in the 13th
century. St. Sava was a prince who left the
throne and went to Mount Athos where he became a
monk. He founded a monastery there, Hilandar,
and later was appointed the Archbishop of
Serbia. He was working on the internal
organization of the Church and education, and he
established relations with other orthodox
churches. In 1879, the Serbian Church gained
independence and in 1920 it became a
Patriarchate. The first Patriarch was Dimitrios
(1920-1930) succeeded by Barnaba (1930-1937),
Gabriel (1937-1950), Vikentios (1950-1958),
German (1958-1990) and now the Patriarch Paul,
appointed on 1st December 1990.
Today, the Patriarchate of Serbia has 44
bishops, numerous monasteries from the 13th
and 14th century, very significant
for its architecture and iconography, as well as
a few monasteries from the more recent time.
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