List of heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church

This is a list of heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church, since the establishment of the church as an autocephalous archbishopric in 1219 to the contemporary patriarchate. The list includes all the archbishops and patriarchs that led the Serbian Orthodox Church, including the Serbian Archbishopric and Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. Since 1920, the Church is led by the Serbian Patriarch, officially styled as Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch.

The current patriarch is Porfirije, who acceded to the position in 2021.^[1]^[2]

Legend

	Venerated to sainthood

Serbian Archbishopric (1219–1346)

No.	Primate	Tenure	Notes
1	Sava I Сава I Sabbas I	1219–1233	First Archbishop of the Serbian Church. Styled "Archbishop of Serb Lands and the Littoral". Established seat at Žiča.
2	Arsenije I Арсеније I Arsenius I	1233–1263	Moved the seat to Peć.^[3]
3	Sava II Сава II Sabbas II	1263–1271
4	Danilo I Данило I Daniel I	1271–1272
5	Joanikije I Јоаникије I Joannicius I	1272–1276
Seat vacant from 1276 to 1279
6	Jevstatije I Јевстатије I Eustathius I	1279 – 4 January 1286	Moved the seat to Žiča in 1285.^[3]
7	Jakov Јаков Jacob	1286–1292	Moved the seat to Peć in 1291 amid foreign invasion, likely final transfer.^[3]^[4]
8	Jevstatije II Јевстатије II Eustathius II	1292–1309
9	Sava III Сава III Sabbas III	1309–1316	Styled "Archbishop of All Serb and Maritime Lands".
10	Nikodim I Никодим I Nicodemus I	1316–1324
11	Danilo II Данило II Daniel II	1324–1337
12	Joanikije II Јоаникије II Joannicius II	3 January 1338 – 6 April 1346

Serbian Patriarchate of Peć (1346–1766)

No.	Primate	Portrait	Tenure	Notes
1	Joanikije II Јоаникије II Joannicius II		6 April 1346 – 3 September 1354	First Patriarch of the Serbian Church. Styled "Archbishop of Peć and Patriarch of all Serb Lands and the Littoral".
2	Sava IV Сава IV Sabbas IV		1354–1375
3	Jefrem I Јефрем I Ephraem I		3 October 1375 – 1380
4	Spiridon I Спиридон I Spyridon I		1380 – 11 August 1389
(3)	Jefrem I Јефрем I Ephraem I		1389–1390
5	Danilo III Данило III Daniel III		1390–1396
6	Sava V Сава V Sabbas V		1396–1406
7	Danilo IV Данило IV Daniel IV		1406
8	Kirilo I Кирило I Cyril I		1407–1419
9	Nikon I Никон I Nicon I		1420–1435
10	Teofan I Теофан I Theophanes I		1435–1446
11	Nikodim II Никодим II Nicodemus II		1446–1455
12	Arsenije II Арсеније II Arsenius II		1457–1463
Seat vacant from 1463 to 1557 due to Ottoman abolition and transfer of jurisdiction to the Archbishopric of Ohrid
No.	Primate	Portrait	Tenure	Notes
13	Makarije I Макарије I Macarius I		1557–1571	Full styled "Archbishop of Peć and Patriarch of Serbs and Bulgarians" Basic styled "Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch".
14	Antonije I Антоније I Anthony I		1571–1575
15	Gerasim I Герасим I Gerasimus I		1575–1586
16	Savatije I Саватије I Sabbatios I		1586
17	Nikanor I Никанор I Nicanor I		1588
18	Jerotej I Јеротеј I Hieroteos I		1589–1590
19	Filip I Филип I Philip I		1591–1592
20	Jovan II Јован II John II		1592–1613
21	Pajsije I Пајсије I Paisius I		1614–1647
22	Gavrilo I Гаврило I Gabriel I		1648–1655
23	Maksim I Максим I Maxim I		1655–1674
24	Arsenije III Арсеније III Arsenius III		1674–1690 (1706)	Leader of the First Migration of the Serbs into the Habsburg monarchy. After 1690, reorganized and headed the branch of the Serbian Church in the Habsburg monarchy.
25	Kalinik I Калиник I Callinicus I		1691–1710	Ethnic Greek.
26	Atanasije I Атанасије I Athanasius I		1711–1712
27	Mojsije I Мојсије I Moses I		1712–1724^[5]
28	Arsenije IV Арсеније IV Arsenius IV		1724–1737	Leader of the Second Migration of the Serbs into the Habsburg monarchy.
29	Joanikije III Јоаникије III Joannicius III		1739–1746	Ethnic Greek. Served as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
30	Atanasije II Атанасије II Athanasius II		1746–1752
31	Gavrilo II Гаврило II Gabriel II		1752
32	Gavrilo III Гаврило III Gabriel III		1752–1758
33	Vikentije I Викентије I Vicentius I		1758
34	Pajsije II Пајсије II Paisius II		1758	Ethnic Greek.
35	Gavrilo IV Гаврило IV Gabriel IV		1758	Ethnic Greek.
36	Kirilo II Кирило II Cyril II		1758–1763	Ethnic Greek.
37	Vasilije Василије Basil		1763–1765
38	Kalinik II Калиник II Callinicus II		1765–1766	Ethnic Greek. Resigned as Patriarch, effectively abolishing the post.
Seat vacant from 1766 to 1920 due to Ottoman abolition
After the Ottoman Empire abolished the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć for the second and final time in 1766, the Serbian Orthodox population within the Ottoman Empire was under jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until 1920. Due to the Great Turkish War, a large number of Serbs migrated to the Habsburg monarchy in 1690 causing the establishment of a metropolitanate in Karlovci in 1708. This see was elevated to a patriarchate in 1848. After the founding of the Principality of Serbia, the autonomous Metropolitanate of Belgrade was created in 1831, under jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It gained full autocephaly in 1879 and merged in 1920 with the Patriarchate of Karlovci and the Metropolitanate of Montenegro to form the unified Serbian Orthodox Church.

Serbian Orthodox Church (since 1920)

No.	Primate	Tenure			Notes
39	Dimitrije Димитрије Demetrius	12 September 1920	6 April 1930^[6]	9 years, 6 months and 25 days	First Patriarch of the reunified Serbian Orthodox Church. Styled "Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch"
40	Varnava Варнава Barnabas	12 May 1930	23 July 1937	7 years, 2 months and 11 days
41	Gavrilo V Гaврилo V Gabriel V	21 February 1938	7 May 1950^[7]	12 years, 2 months and 16 days
42	Vikentije II Викентије II Vicentius II	1 July 1950^[8]	5 July 1958	8 years and 4 days
43	German Герман Herman	14 September 1958	30 November 1990	32 years and 16 days
44	Pavle Павле Paul	1 December 1990	15 November 2009^[9]	18 years, 11 months and 14 days
45	Irinej Иринеј Irenaeus	23 January 2010^[10]^[11]	20 November 2020^[12]	10 years, 9 months and 28 days
46	Porfirije Порфирије Porphyrios	19 February 2021^[1]	Incumbent	5 years, 3 months and 22 days (as of 10 June 2026)