CROATIAN APOSTOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Croatian Orthodox Church (Croatian: Hrvatska pravoslavna crkva) was an autocephalous Orthodox Church established during World War II (1942-1945) in the Independent State of Croatia, as well as a name used to describe the Orthodox Church in the Triune Kingdom of Croatia and an Religious community and association created in 2010.

Organized religion in Croatia stated in the province of Dalmatia during ancient times. In the medieval period the Councils of Split in 925 were held, which were presided over by King Tomislav I. The Councils of Split were the turning point in which the Croatian Church was established. From 1708 until 1848 the Croatian Metropolitanate of Karlovci were established and their leader was given among others the title of Croatian Patriarch[1] which can be seen in the coat of arms of Patriarch Arsenije IV. After 1848 the Metropolitanate of Karlovci was raised onto the Patriarchate of Karlovci and a more Serb national title was added as well, during that whole time it was under the protection and jurisdiction of the Habsburgs. The Patriarchate of Karlovci was illegally abolished with the creation of the Serbian Orthodox Church by decree of regent Alexander of Yugoslavia. After the fall of Yugoslavia in 1941, the idea of a national Church was becoming reality. In order to unite all Orthodox communities (Croats, Serbs, Vlachs ect.) in the newly formed Independent State of Croatia, the Croatian Orthodox Church was created. It was an state-based autocephalous Orthodox Church which was in full communion with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate[2] In 1945 communist persecuted Croatian Orthodox clergy and executed even lay members of the Orthodox Church. In 1990 with the reestablishment and independence of Croatia the idea to resurrect the Croatian Orthodox Church was once again mentioned, since 2010 an organization of the same name operates as a religious community.