Archbishop of Ohrid


The Archbishop of Ohrid is a historic title given to the primate of the Archbishopric of Ohrid.
The archbishopric was established in 1018 by lowering of the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate and its subjugation to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The autocephaly of the Ohrid Archbishopric remained respected during the periods of Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian and Ottoman rule over the region of Macedonia and continued to exist until its abolition in 1767.
Today, the primates of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric are both claimants to the title of Archbishop of Ohrid.

First Bulgarian Empire Bishops, 893–997

NameStart of TenureEnd of TenureBirth NameTitle
Saint Clement of Ohrid893916Bishop of Ohrid
Philip997Bishop of Ohrid

Archbishopric of Ohrid, 1018–1767

Dorotheos, the Archbishop of Ohrid, and his clerks and boyars were expatriated to Constantinople in 1466 because their anti-Ottoman activities during Skanderbeg's rebellion.
NameStart of TenureEnd of TenureBirth NameTitle
John I of Debar10181037Archbishop of Ohrid
Leo10371056Archbishop of Ohrid
Theodulus I10561065Archbishop of Ohrid
John II Lampinos10651078Archbishop of Ohrid
John III10781079Archbishop of Ohrid
Theophylact10841107Archbishop of Ohrid
Leo II Mung11081120Archbishop of Ohrid
Michael Maximos1120Archbishop of Ohrid
John IV1139/431160Adrianos KomnenosArchbishop of Ohrid
Constantine I1160Archbishop of Ohrid
John V Kamateros11831216Archbishop of Ohrid
Demetrios Chomatianos12161234Archbishop of Ohrid
JoanniciusArchbishop of Ohrid
SergiusArchbishop of Ohrid
Constantine II Kabasilasbefore 1255after 1259Archbishop of Ohrid
Jacob Proarchius12751285Archbishop of Ohrid
HadrianArchbishop of Ohrid
GennadiusArchbishop of Ohrid
MacariusArchbishop of Ohrid
Anthimos Metochites13411346Archbishop of Ohrid
Nicholas I1346Archbishop of Ohrid
Gregory II1364/65Archbishop of Ohrid
Matthew1408Archbishop of Ohrid
Nicodemus1452Archbishop of Ohrid
Dositheos IArchbishop of Ohrid
Dorotheos1466Archbishop of Ohrid
Mark Xylokaravis1466Archbishop of Ohrid
Nicholas IIArchbishop of Ohrid
Zacharius1486Archbishop of Ohrid
Prochorus15281550Archbishop of Ohrid
Simeon15501557Archbishop of Ohrid
Nicanor15571565Archbishop of Ohrid
Paisius1565Archbishop of Ohrid
Parthenius IArchbishop of Ohrid
Sophronius15671572Archbishop of Ohrid
Gabriel15721588Archbishop of Ohrid
Theodulus II15881590Archbishop of Ohrid
Gregory III15901593Archbishop of Ohrid
Joachim15931596Archbishop of Ohrid
Athanasius I15961598Archbishop of Ohrid
Varlaam15981598Archbishop of Ohrid
Nectarius I15981613Archbishop of Ohrid
Metrophanes16141616Archbishop of Ohrid
Nectarius II16161624Archbishop of Ohrid
Porphyrios Palaiologos16241627Archbishop of Ohrid
George16271628Archbishop of Ohrid
Joasaph16281629Archbishop of Ohrid
Abraham Mesaps16291637Archbishop of Ohrid
Meletius I16371643Archbishop of Ohrid
Chariton16431650Archbishop of Ohrid
Daniel16501652Archbishop of Ohrid
Dionysius I16521653Archbishop of Ohrid
Athanasius II1653Archbishop of Ohrid
PaphnutiusArchbishop of Ohrid
Ignatius I16601663Archbishop of Ohrid
Arsenius I16631663Archbishop of Ohrid
Zosimus16631670Archbishop of Ohrid
Panaretus16711673Archbishop of Ohrid
Nectarius III16731676Archbishop of Ohrid
Ignatius II16761676Archbishop of Ohrid
Teophanes16761676Archbishop of Ohrid
Meletius II16761677Archbishop of Ohrid
Parthenius II16771683Archbishop of Ohrid
Gregory IV16831688Archbishop of Ohrid
Germanus16881691Archbishop of Ohrid
Gregory V16911693Archbishop of Ohrid
Ignatius III1693
1703		1695
1706		Archbishop of Ohrid
Zosimus II1695
1707		1699
1708		Archbishop of Ohrid
Raphael16991702Archbishop of Ohrid
Germanus II17021702Archbishop of Ohrid
Dionysius II1706
1709		1706
1714		Archbishop of Ohrid
Methodius I17081708Archbishop of Ohrid
Philotheus17141718Archbishop of Ohrid
Joasaph II17191745Archbishop of Ohrid
Joseph17461752Archbishop of Ohrid
Dionysius III17521756Archbishop of Ohrid
Methodius II17571758Archbishop of Ohrid
Cyril17591762Archbishop of Ohrid
Jeremy17631763Archbishop of Ohrid
Ananias17631763Archbishop of Ohrid
Arsenius II17631767Archbishop of Ohrid

Macedonian Orthodox Church

Macedonian Orthodox Church (autonomous), 1959–1967

In 1959, the Macedonian Orthodox Church was declared as the restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. The declaration was celebrated in a common liturgy by Macedonian priests and the Serbian Patriarch German in 1959 in Skopje. The Archbishop Dositheus II was enthroned as Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, continuing in the lineage of the Archbishops of Ohrid.
In 1962, the Serbian Patriarch German II and Russian Patriarch Alexius I visited the Macedonian Orthodox Church on the feast of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius in Ohrid. The two patriarchs and the Macedonian Archbishop Dositheus II celebrated Holy Liturgy marking the first occasion where the leader of the Macedonian church met with heads of other Orthodox churches.
NameStart of TenureEnd of TenureBirth NameTitle
Dositej, Metropolitan of Skopje19581967Dimitrija StojkovskiArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia

Macedonian Orthodox Church (self-proclaimed autocephalous), since 1967

On 19 July 1967, in Ohrid, the Macedonian Orthodox Church declared autocephaly from the Serbian Orthodox Church, a move which was not acknowledged by the Serbian church and most other Orthodox Churches.
NameStart of TenureEnd of TenureBirth NameTitle
Dositej19671981Dimitrija StojkovskiArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Angelarij
Angelarios		19811986Cvetko KrsteskiArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Gavril II19861991Gorgi MiloševArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Mihail19911999Metodija GogovArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia
Stefan1999presentStojan VeljanovskiArchbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia

Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, since 2005

The Macedonian Orthodox Church has an ongoing disagreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church after the separation and declaration of autocephaly in 1967, unrecognized by the Eastern Orthodox churches. After the negotiations between the two churches were suspended, the Macedonian church having rejected the 2002 agreement where the Macedonian church would enjoy recognition as autonomous under the control of the Serbian church, the Serbian church officially recognized the group led by Jovan Vraniškovski, a former bishop of the Macedonian church, as leaders of the Archbishopric of Ohrid under the tutelage of the Serbian Patriarchate in 2005. The Serbian church recognized Vraniškovski's breakaway group as the restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid and gave him the title of John VI, Archbishop of Ohrid.
NameStart of TenureEnd of TenureBirth NameTitle
John VI2005currentZoran VraniškovskiArchbishop of Ohrid