User:AimLook/Macedonian Orthodox Church

The Macedonian Orthodox Church (Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква) is that body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia. It is an autocephalous ("self-headed") Eastern Orthodox Church, which is not in communion nor is its autocephaly recognized by some Orthodox churches.

The Church exercises jurisdiction over Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and Macedonians in neighboring countries, as well as exarchates in the diaspora.

Origins
According to the sources in the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Paul, a disciple of Jesus, began spreading Christianity in Macedonia and elsewhere in the Balkan Peninsula towards the mid 1st century. He visited this region on two occasions during his journeys through Europe and Asia. He was followed by Timothy and Silas, who remained in Macedonia after his departure.

As a result of the Christianization in the first three centuries, the Christians in Macedonia at the beginning of the 4th century already had an organized Church with an established ecclesiastical hierarchy, whose bishops regularly participated in the ecumenical councils. In the 5th century, the Church had several metropolises and dioceses. The metropolises of Thessaloniki and Skopje were the most distinguished among them.

During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527–565), (born in the village of Tauresium, located in the southern outskirts of Skopje) a new town was built near the emperor's birthplace, Justiniana Prima, named after the emperor; the Metropolitan of Skopje was appointed archbishop. Cathellian was the first archbishop of the Archdiocese Justiniana Prima, at that time third by honor among the local Orthodox Churches, after Rome and Constantinople.

During the Turkish administration of Macedonia, the Archbishopric of Ohrid, established in 1019, was abolished and annexed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1767. Efforts were made in the 19th and first part of the 20th century to restore the Archdiocese (see below), and in 1874 it became part of the newly established Bulgarian Exarchate.

When Turkish rule ended following the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), Macedonia was divided among the victors. Northern Macedonia (Vardar), present day Republic of Macedonia, was incorporated into the newly formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia. By agreement with Constantinople, the Orthodox population was integrated into the Patriarchate of Peć. During the Axis occupation of Macedonia during the Second World War, local dioceses once again became part of the Bulgarian Exarchate but would later return to the Serbian church following the liberation of Macedonia in 1944.

Doctrine and practices
As with other Orthodox Churches, the Macedonian Orthodox Church places the emphasis on preservation rather than evolution or adaptation of its doctrine and practices. The Church celebrates its feasts according to the Julian calendar (old style). Church Slavonic is used for the majority of religious ceremonies, while standard Macedonian is commonly used for non-scripted events such as sermons and confessions.