Metropolitanate of Karlovci Карловачка митрополија Karlovačka mitropolija
Coat of Arms of Metropolitanate of Karlovci
Location
Territory	Habsburg monarchy
Headquarters	Karlovci,Habsburg monarchy (modernSremski Karlovci,Serbia)
Information
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox
Sui iuris church	Self-governing Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate
Established	1708
Dissolved	1848
Language	Church Slavonic Slavonic-Serbian

TheMetropolitanate of Karlovci (Serbian:Карловачка митрополија,romanized: Karlovačka mitropolija) was ametropolitanate of theEastern Orthodox Church that existed in theHabsburg monarchy between 1708 and 1848.^[1] Between 1708 and 1713, it was known as theMetropolitanate ofKrušedol, and between 1713 and 1848, as theMetropolitanate ofKarlovci. In 1848, it was elevated to thePatriarchate of Karlovci, which existed until 1920, when it was merged with theMetropolitanate of Belgrade and other Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions in the newly establishedKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to form theSerbian Orthodox Church.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, all of the southern and central parts of the former medievalKingdom of Hungary were under Turkish rule and organized asOttoman Hungary. Since 1557,Serbian Orthodox Church in those regions was under jurisdiction of theSerbian Patriarchate of Peć. During theAustro-Turkish War (1683–1699), much of the central and southern Hungary was liberated and Serbian eparchies in those regions fell under theHabsburg rule. In 1689, Serbian PatriarchArsenije III Crnojević sided with Austrians, and moved fromPeć toBelgrade in 1690, leading theGreat Migration of the Serbs. In that time, a large number of Serbs migrated to southern and central parts of Hungary.^[2][3]

Important privileges were given to them by EmperorLeopold I in three imperial chapters (Diploma Leopoldinum) the first issued on 21 August 1690, the second a year later, on 20 August 1691, and the third on 4 March 1695.^[4] Privileges allowed Serbs to keep their Eastern Orthodox faith and church organization headed by archbishop and bishops. In next two centuries of its autonomous existence, autonomous Serbian Church inHabsburg monarchy was organized on the basis of privileges originally received from the emperor.^[5] As the Serb settlers were granted religious freedom and eclestical autonomy without separatediet, the Metropolitanate of Karlovci developed not only into religious but also quasi-political institution with its assembly effectively functioning as a Serbestates diet.^[6]

Until death in 1706, head of the church was Patriarch Arsenije III who reorganized eparchies and appointed new bishops. He held the title of Serbian Patriarch until the end of his life. New emperorJoseph I (1705–1711), following the advice ofCardinalLeopold Karl von Kollonitsch abolished that title, and substitute it with less distinguished title of archbishop or metropolitan. In his decree, Emperor Joseph I stated, "we must make sure that they never elect another Patriarch since it is against the Catholic Church and the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church". According to that, future primates of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the newKingdom of Serbia of the Habsburg Monarchy will bare the title of archbishop and metropolitan. The only exception from the Imperial decree was the case of later Serbian PatriarchArsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta (1725–1748) who brought his title directly from the historic see ofPeć (1737).^[7]

After the death of Patriarch Arsenije III (1706), the Serbian Church Council was held in theKrušedol Monastery in 1708 and proclaimed Krušedol to be the official cathedral seat of the newly elected Archbishop and MetropolitanIsaija Đaković, while all administrative activities were moved to the nearby city ofSremski Karlovci. The Krušedol Monastery was bequest of the late medieval SerbianBranković dynasty in the beginning of the 16th century, which was the main historical and national reason for the Serbs to choose this monastery as their Church capital.^[8]

Between 1708 and 1713, the seat of the Metropolitanate was in the Krušedol Monastery, and in 1713 it was moved toKarlovci (modernSremski Karlovci,Serbia). The new archbishopVikentije Popović-Hadžilavić (1713–1725) moved all administration from Krušedol to Karlovci.^[1] So, the new capital of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Habsburg Monarchy became Sremski Karlovci which was confirmed by the seal of Imperial approval in the charter of EmperorCharles VI issued in October the same year.

During theAustro-Turkish War (1716–1718), regions ofLower Syrmia,Banat, centralSerbia withBelgrade, andOltenia were liberated from Ottoman rule, and under theTreaty of Passarowitz (1718) became part of the Habsburg Monarchy.^[9] Political change was followed by ecclesiastical reorganization. Eparchies in newly liberated regions were not subjected to the Metropolitan of Karlovci, mainly because Habsburg authorities did not want to allow the creation of unified and centralized administrative structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Monarchy. Instead of that, they supported the creation of a separate metropolitanate for Eastern Orthodox Serbs and Romanians in liberated regions, centered in Belgrade. The newly createdMetropolitanate of Belgrade was headed by metropolitanMojsije Petrović (d. 1730). New autonomous Metropolitanate of Belgrade had jurisdiction overKingdom of Serbia (Belgrade was the capital city) andBanat, and also overOltenia.^[10]

The creation of new metropolitan province was approved by Serbian PatriarchMojsije I (1712–1725), who also recommended future unification. Shortly after, two metropolitanates did merge, in 1726, and by the imperial decree ofCharles VI, the administrative capital ofSerbian Orthodox Church was moved from Sremski Karlovci toBelgrade in 1731. MetropolitanVikentije Jovanović (1731–1737) resided in Belgrade.^[11]

During theAustro-Turkish War (1737–1739), Serbian PatriarchArsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta (1725–1748) sided with the Habsburgs and in 1737 leftPeć and came toBelgrade, taking over the administration of the Metropolitanate. He received imperial confirmation, and when Belgrade fell to Ottomans in the autumn of 1739, he moved the church headquarters to Sremski Karlovci.

In 1748, patriarch Arsenije IV died, and church council was held for the election of a new primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Habsburg Monarchy. After the short tenure of metropolitanIsaija Antonović (1748–1749), another church council was held, electing the new metropolitanPavle Nenadović (1749–1768).^[12] During his tenure important administrative reforms were undertaken in the Metropolitanate of Karlovci. He also tried to help the patriarchal mother-church inPeć, under the Ottoman rule, but the old Serbian Patriarchate could not be saved. In 1766, theSerbian Patriarchate of Peć was finally abolished, and all of its eparchies that were under Turkish rule were overtaken by theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Serbian hierarchs of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci had no intention to submit themselves to the Greek Patriarch in Constantinople, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate also had enough wisdom not to demand their submission. From that time, Metropolitanate of Karlovci continued functioning as the fully independent ecclesiastical center of Eastern Orthodoxy in the Habsburg Monarchy, with seven suffragan bishops (Bačka, Vršac, Temišvar, Arad, Buda, Pakrac and Upper Karlovac).^[13]

The position of Serbs and their Church in Habsburg Monarchy was further regulated by reforms brought about by Dowager-EmpressMaria Theresa, Queen of Hungary (1740–1780). The Serbian Church Council of 1769 regulated various issues in a special act named "Regulament" and, later, in similar act called theDeclaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation, published in 1779.^[5] The death of Maria Theresa in 1780 marked the end the old imperial and royalHouse of Habsburg, highly respected among Orthodox Serbs, and succession passed to the new dynasty, called theHouse of Habsburg-Lorraine that ruled until 1918. Enlightened reforms of emperorJoseph II (1780–1790) affected all religious institutions in the Monarchy, including the Metropolitanate of Karlovci.

Serbian metropolitans of Sremski Karlovci promoted the Enlightenment by introducing western education in the schools established in Sremski Karlovci (1733), and inNovi Sad (1737). In order to counter the Roman Catholic influence, the school curricula was exposed to cultural influence of theRussian Orthodox Church. As early as in 1724 the Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church sent M. Suvorov to open a school in Sremski Karlovci, which graduates were thereof passed on to Kievan seminary, and the more gifted to the Academy in Kiev.^[14] The Church liturgical language became Russian Slavonic, called the New Church Slavonic. On another hand,Baroque influence became visible in the church architecture, iconography, literature and theology.^[15]

During the eighteenth century the Metropolitanate maintained close connections withKiev and theRussian Orthodox Church. Many Serbian theological students were educated in Kiev. A Seminary was open in 1794 which educated Orthodox priests during the nineteenth century for the needs of the Karlovci Metropolitanate and beyond.^[5]

By the end of the 18th century, the Metropolitanate of Karlovci included a large territory that stretched from theAdriatic Sea toBukovina and fromDanube andSava toUpper Hungary. During the long tenure of highly conservative metropolitanStefan Stratimirović (1790–1836),^[16] internal reforms were halted, resulting in the gradual formation of two fractions that would subsequently mark the life of Orthodox Serbs in the Metropolitanate, and later Patriarchate of Karlovci throughout the 19th century. First fraction was clerical and conservative. It was led by majority of bishops and higher clergy. Second fraction was oriented towards further reforms within the church administration, in order to allow more influence on decision making to lower clergy, laity and civil leaders. In the same time, aspirations towards Serbian national autonomy within the Empire gained great importance, leading tohistorical events of 1848–49.^[17]

The Metropolitanate included the following eparchies:

No.	Primate	Portrait	Personal name	Reign	Title	Notes
1	Arsenije III Арсеније III Arsenius III		Arsenije Čarnojević Арсеније Чарнојевић	1690–1706	Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch	Leader of theFirst Serbian Migration
2	Isaija I Исаија I Isaias I		Isaija Đaković Исаија Ђаковић	1708	Metropolitan of Krušedol
3	Sofronije Софроније Sophronius		Sofronije Podgoričanin Софроније Подгоричанин	1710–1711	Metropolitan of Krušedol
4	Vikentije I Викентије I Vicentius I		Vikentije Popović-Hadžilavić Викентије Поповић-Хаџилавић	1713–1725	Metropolitan of Karlovci
5	Mojsije I Мојсије I Moses I		Mojsije Petrović Мојсије Петровић	1726–1730	Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci
6	Vikentije II Викентије II Vicentius II		Vikentije Jovanović Викентије Јовановић	1731–1737	Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci
7	Arsenije IV Арсеније IV Arsenius IV		Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta Арсеније Јовановић Шакабента	1737–1748	Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch	Leader of theSecond Serbian Migration
8	Isaija II Исаија II Isaias II		Isaija Antonović Јован Антоновић	1748–1749	Metropolitan of Karlovci
9	Pavle Павле Paul		Pavle Nenadović Павле Ненадовић	1749–1768	Metropolitan of Karlovci
10	Jovan Јован John		Jovan Georgijević Јован Ђорђевић	1768–1773	Metropolitan of Karlovci
11	Vićentije III Вићентије III Vicentius III		Vićentije Jovanović Vidak Вићентије Јовановић Видак	1774–1780	Metropolitan of Karlovci
12	Mojsije II Мојсије II Moses II		Mojsije Putnik Мојсије Путник	1781–1790	Metropolitan of Karlovci
13	Stefan I Стефан I Stephen I		Stefan Stratimirović Стефан Стратимировић	1790–1836	Metropolitan of Karlovci
14	Stefan II Стефан II Stephen II		Stefan Stanković Стефан Станковић	1836–1841	Metropolitan of Karlovci
15	Josif Јосиф Joseph		Josif Rajačić Јосиф Рајачић	1842–1848	Metropolitan of Karlovci	Elevated to Patriarch at theMay Assembly

• Patriarchate of Karlovci
• Serbian Orthodox Church
• List of heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church
• Religion in Serbia
• Religion in Vojvodina
• Archives of Sremski Karlovci

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