§ 34. The Church in the Kingdom of Serbia

The organization of the spiritual authority, issued on 23 August 1847, was replaced on 30 September 1862 by the Law on Church Authorities, which held force in Serbia with various supplements and amendments until 1890. In that year, on 27 April, a new Law on the Church Authorities of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Serbia[1] was issued. It contains: I. General provisions, in which it is stated that the state religion in Serbia is Eastern Orthodox, that the Serbian church is autocephalous and maintains unity in dogma with the Eastern ecumenical church. It further states what the church-administrative division of the country is and what the church authorities are (arts. 1–8). II. Church-administrative authorities, namely: 1. the assembly of bishops, 2. the archbishop of Belgrade and metropolitan of Serbia, 3. the eparchial bishops, 4. the district, Belgrade and Niš protopresbyters, 5. the county vicars, 6. the parish priests, chaplains and deacons, 7. the church communes, and 8. the monastic superiors (arts. 9–76). III. Church-judicial authorities, namely: 1. the assembly of bishops, 2. the great spiritual court, 3. the eparchial spiritual court, 4. general provisions for the spiritual courts, 5. offenses of clergy and penalties, 6. procedure in adjudicating: a. clerical offenses, b. clerical suits, and c. matrimonial disputes of citizens (arts. 77–125 and 169–223). IV. Elective assembly for the election of the archbishop of Belgrade and metropolitan of Serbia (arts. 126–144). V. The clerical assemblies (arts. 145–168)—though this was abolished by the law of 26 April 1895. VI. Seals of the church authorities (art. 224). VII. Rights, salaries and per-diems of church officers (arts. 225–231). VIII. State oversight (arts. 232–238). IX. Transitional provisions (arts. 239–246).

Law on the Regulation of the Priestly Estate of 31 December 1882.[2]

Law on the Establishment of the Church Fund of 31 December 1882.[3]

Law on the Theological Seminary of 11 January 1896.[4]