95–100% | |
90–95% | |
80–90% | |
70–80% | |
60–70% | |
50–60% | |
30–40% | |
20–30% | |
10–20% | |
5–10% | |
2–4% | |
< 1% |
Christianity inKosovo has a long-standing tradition dating to theRoman Empire. The entire Balkan region had beenChristianized by the Roman,Byzantine,First Bulgarian Empire,Serbian Kingdom,Second Bulgarian Empire, andSerbian Empire till 13th century. After theBattle of Kosovo in 1389 until 1912, Kosovo was part of theMuslimOttoman Empire, and a high level ofIslamization occurred. During the time period afterWorld War II, Kosovo was ruled bysecularsocialist authorities in theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). During that period, Kosovars became increasinglysecularized. Today, 87% of Kosovo's population are fromMuslim family backgrounds, most of whom are ethnicAlbanians,[2] but also including Slavic speakers (who mostly identify themselves as Gorani or Bosniaks) and Turks.
Christianity started to spread throughout thesoutheastern Europe during the 1st century. Early martyrsFlorus and Laurus from the 2nd century, who were murdered along with other 300 Christians inUlpiana, near modernLipjan, are venerated by the locals.[3]
Proto-Albanian speakers were Christianized under theLatin sphere of influence, specifically in the 4th century CE, as shown by the basicChristian terms in Albanian, which are ofLatin origin and entered Proto-Albanian before theGheg–Tosk dialectal diversification.[4][5]
Dardania had aDiocese in the 4th century, and its seat was placed in Ulpiana, which remained theepiscopal center of Dardania until the establishment ofJustiniana Prima in 535 AD.[6][7] In 395, the Empire was divided, and its eastern half later became known as theByzantine Empire.
EmperorJustinian issued theCorpus Juris Civilis and sought to create an Illyrian Church, by the establishment of theArchbishopric of Justiniana Prima, centered in the emperor's birth-city ofJustiniana Prima and exercising ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all provinces of theDiocese of Dacia, and by rebuilding Ulpiana asJustiniana Secunda, which was intended to become the centre of Byzantine administration.[8][9][10]
Theplague of Justinian had killed millions of native Balkan people and as a result many regions had become depopulated and neglected by the government, this gave the Slavs a chance into settle in the Balkans.[11]Slavic migrations to the Balkans took place between the 6th to 7th centuries. The region had been part of the Roman and Byzantine empires until the first major Slav raids took place in the middle of Justinian's reign. In 547 and 548 the Slavs invaded the territory of modern-day Kosovo, and then got as far as modern-day Durrës on the Northern Albanian coast and reached all the way down to Greece.[12]
At the time of the South Slavic incursion and the threat of ethnic turbulence in the Albanian-inhabited regions, the Christianization of the Albanians had already been completed and it had apparently developed for Albanians as a further identity-forming feature alongside the ethnic-linguistic unity.[13] Church administration, which was controlled by a thick network of Roman bishoprics, collapsed with the arrival of the Slavs. Between the early 7th century and the late 9th century the interior areas of the Balkans were deprived of church administration, and Christianity might have survived only as a popular tradition on a reduced degree.[14] The reorganization of the Church as a cult institution in the region took a considerable amount of time,[15] as the Balkans were brought back into the Christian orbit only after the recovery of theByzantine Empire and through the activity of Byzantine missionaries.[14]
In 726 Byzantine EmperorLeo III the Isaurian establishedde jure the jurisdiction of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over the Balkans, as the Church and the State established an institution. The Eastern Church expanded its influence in the area along with the social and political developments. Between the 7th and 12th centuries a powerful network of cult institutions were revived completely covering the ecclesiastical administration of the entire present-day Albanian-speaking compact area. In particular an important role was played by theTheme of Dyrrhachium and theArchdiocese of Ohrid.[16] The lack ofOld Church Slavonic terms in Albanian Christian terminology shows that the missionary activities during theChristianization of the Slavs did not involve Albanian-speakers, indeed, the Christian belief among Albanians had survived through the centuries and already become an important cultural element in their ethnic identity.[17]
The Eastern Orthodox Church has a significant historical presence in Kosovo, with roots dating back to theRoman,Byzantine,Bulgarian andSerbian empires.
In 9th century, The region of Kosovo was incorporated into theFirst Bulgarian Empire during the reign ofKhanPresian.[18] It remained within the borders ofBulgaria for 150 years until 10-11th century, when it was retaken by theByzantine Empire underBasil II rule after half a century of campaigning. After the Byzantine Empire fully re-established itself, the region became part of the Byzantine Empire again and stayed under Byzantine rule until the 12th century.[19]
Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was founded duringPrincipality of SerbiaMutimir's rule, as a bishopric of Serbia, atRas with thechurch of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, as part of the general plan of establishing bishoprics in the Slav lands of the Empire, confirmed by theCouncil of Constantinople in 9th century.[20]
In 12th century,Serbian rulerStefan Nemanja was the first who had seized the surrounding area along theWhite Drin from the Byzantine empire toGrand Principality of Serbia. The ecclesiastical split from the Patriarchate in 1219 was the final act of establishingNemanjić rule in Prizren and Kosovo. During the period ofKingdom of Serbia, severalSerbian Kings andNobles made significant contributions toEastern Orthodox Church likeStefan Nemanja,Stefan Prvovenčani,Stefan Uroš I,Stefan Uroš II Milutin,Stefan Uroš III Dečanski,Stefan Dušan,Stefan Uroš V,Lazar Hrebeljanović,Stefan Lazarević,Marko Mrnjavčević, among others.
In 1346Easter,Emperor of SerbiaStefan Dušan convoked a grand assembly, attended by the Serbian ArchbishopJoanikije II and various religious leaders ofMount Athos. The assembly and clergy agreed on, and then ceremonially performed the raising of the autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric to the status of Patriarchate. The Archbishop was from now on titledSerbian Patriarch, although some documents called himPatriarch of Serbs and Greeks, with the seat atPatriarchal Monastery of Peć. The new Patriarch Joanikije II crowned Stefan Dušan as "Emperor andautocrat ofSerbs andRomans.[21]
After theBattle of Kosovo, theOttoman Empire invaded theSerbian Despotate in 1459. All of the annexed lands were divided intoSanjaks.
Although some Serbs converted toIslam,most fought to continue their faith to theSerbian Orthodox Church. After several failed attempts, made from c. 1530 up to 1541 by metropolitanPavle of Smederevo to regain theautocephaly by seizing the throne of Peć and proclaiming himself not only Archbishop of Peć, but also Serbian Patriarch, theSerbian Patriarchate was finally restored in 1557 under theSultanSuleiman I, under theinterfaith mediation ofPashaMehmed Sokolović who wasSerbian by birth. His cousin, one of the Serbian Orthodox bishopsSaint Makarije Sokolović was elected Patriarch in Peć. The restoration of thePatriarchate of Peć was of great importance for the Serbs because it helped the spiritual unification of all Serbs in the Ottoman Empire.[22]
After the end ofWorld War I, occurred the reunification of Serbian Orthodox Church. All Eastern Orthodox Serbs were united under one ecclesiastical authority, and all Serbian ecclesiastical provinces and eparchies such as theMetropolitanate of Belgrade,Zagreb and Ljubljana,Dabar-Bosnia,Montenegro and the Littoral,Patriarchate of Karlovci, and thePatriarchate of Peć were united into the singleSerbian Orthodox Church, titled asHis Holiness,Archbishop of Peć,Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, andSerbian Patriarch.[23]
DuringWorld War II, the region was annexed in territory of theaxisFascist Italy-ruledKingdom of Albania during theInvasion of Yugoslavia. The Serbian Orthodox monasteries was targeted for destruction by Italianfascistblackshirts andAlbanian nationalistBalli Kombëtar under the idea of creating aracially pureGreater Albania, the Balli Kombëtar enacted campaigns ofmassacres,genocide andterrorism against Serb Orthodox Christian civilians in Kosovo.[24][25] In 1941, the Balli Kombëtar combined with theSS Skanderbeg division massacred thousands of Serbs and expelled between 10,000 and 100,000 Serb civilians from the region.[26][27][28] TheRoyal Italian Army responded by sending a group of soldiers to help protect the Serbian Orthodox monasteries from attacks.[29][30]
TheSerbpopulation, estimated at 140,000 people, is largelySerbian Orthodox. Kosovo has 156 monasteries and many churches,Serb Orthodox churches and monasteries,[31][32][33] of which three areWorld Heritage Sites ofSerbia asMedieval Monuments in Kosovo*: thePatriarchal Monastery of Peć,Visoki Decani,Our Lady of Ljeviš, andGračanica.
In contemporary Kosovo, during theKosovo war (1999), dozens of churches were destroyed, and others damaged by Albanians, after the end of Serbian governance in 1999, and a further 35 were damaged in the week of theAlbanian Pogrom and violence against the Serbs in March 2004.[34]
The Catholic Church has a significant historical presence in Kosovo, with roots dating back to the Roman and Byzantine empires. The influence of the Catholic Church grew under the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century and continued to develop during the subsequent periods of rule by various powers, including the Venetian and Ottoman Empires. During the Ottoman period, many Albanians converted to Islam, but a significant number remained Catholic, particularly in the western and northern regions of Kosovo. During the period in which the conversion of Catholics to Islam was fastest (the second half of the sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth century) many converts continued to practice Catholic rites in private, although the Catholic Church banned this from 1703,[35] and as late as 1845 significant numbers of people who had passed as Muslims declared themselves to be Catholics, to avoid conscription.[36] The Catholic community maintained its religious and cultural identity despite the challenges posed by Ottoman rule; the resilience of the Catholic population during this time laid the foundation for the continued presence of the Catholic Church in the region. Important Catholic institutions, such as the Diocese of Prizren, played a crucial role in the religious and social life of the Catholic Albanians.
In contemporary Kosovo, the Diocese of Prizren remains an important religious institution. The community is estimated to make up about 3-5% of Kosovo's total population, translating to approximately 60,000 to 100,000 individuals.[37] The Diocese of Prizren-Pristina, which serves the Catholic community in Kosovo, has been active in promoting education, culture, and social services. The Church also plays a role in interfaith dialogue, working to build bridges between different religious communities in the region. The church's efforts in preserving Albanian cultural heritage and its contributions to social and humanitarian causes are widely recognized. Key religious sites such as the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa in Pristina are central to the activities of the Catholic community. The church continues to support the spiritual and social needs of its followers, fostering a sense of unity and cultural identity among the Catholic Albanians in Kosovo.
Mother Teresa, whose parents were from Kosovo, saw the vision which decided her upon her religious vocation at the Church of the Black Madonna at Letnica in Kosovo.[38] The central boulevard in Pristina is named after her. A Catholic Cathedral was consecrated in Pristina in 2011, having been built on land donated by the municipality. During theKosovo war (1999), vandalization of Kosovo Albanian Catholic churches occurred.[39] TheChurch of St Anthony located in Gjakova had major damage done by Yugoslav Serb soldiers.[40] In Pristina, Yugoslav Serb officers ejected nuns and a priest from the Catholic church of St. Anthony and installedaircraft radar in thesteeple which resulted in NATO bombing of the church and surrounding houses.[39]
There is also a small number of evangelicalProtestants, whose tradition dates back to theMethodist missionaries' work centered inBitola, in the late 19th century. They are represented by theKosovo Protestant Evangelical Church (KPEC).[41] There are around 2,000 Protestants in Kosovo, and around 19 Protestant Churches.
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