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{{cleanup}}church| The '''name=Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia''' is a self-governing body of the [[Image:Czechslovakia logo.gif|center|Orthodox Christian church that territorially covers the countries Church of the Czech Republic Lands and the Republic of Slovakia]]|founder=Ss. The current ruling hierarch is His Beatitude[[Cyril and Methodius]]|independence=1951, 1998 |recognition=1951 by [[Church of Russia|Moscow]], 1998 by [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] |primate=vacant, Metropolitan Nicholas Abp [[Simeon (Jakovljević) of PresovBrno and Olomouc|Simeon]] ''[[locum tenens]]''|hq=Prešov, Slovakia|territory=Czech Republic and Slovakia|possessions=—|language=[[Church Slavonic]]|music=[[Prostopinije]]/Choral|calendar=[[Julian Calendar|Julian]], [[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]]|population=71,000|website=[http://www.pravoslav.gts. cz/ Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia]}}

The Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia presents both an ancient history as well as a very modern history. The present day Church occupies the lands, Moravia, where the brothers SS. Cyril and Methodius began their mission to the Slavs, introducing the liturgical and canonical order of the Orthodox Eastern Church, translated into the Slavic language. In doing this they developed the first slavic alphabet. This mission was destroyed after Methodius died in 885, as Pope Stephen V of Rome forced all disciples of the brothers to leave the countryside which now is the Czech Republic. The Orthodox order survived in present day Slovakia due to its nearness and influence to Kievian Russia until the union with Rome was instituted by the Viennese Court. After the legal restrains restraints to Orthodoxy were removed with the end of World War I, many people left the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Many looked to the [[Church of Serbia|Serbian Orthodox Church ]] as parts of the Serbian church had been within the pre-war union. Among those seeking the Orthodox church was a Roman Catholic priest, Matthias Pavlik, who had been interested in Orthodox Christianity for years. The [[Church of Serbia]], thus, consented to [[consecration of a bishop|consecrate ]] Fr. Matthias as a bishop of the Orthodox Church with the name Gorazd.  On [[September 25]], 1921 Archimandrite Gorazd was consecrated [[Bishop]] of Moravia and Silesia at the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, Yugoslavia by [[Patriarch]] Dimitri of Serbia. Bp. Gorazd (Pavlik) is considered to be in the succession from Archbishop Methodius of Moravia and bears the name of one of St Methodius’ disciples and successor, Bp. Prague|Gorazd]].

As On [[September 25]], 1921, Archimandrite Gorazd was consecrated [[Bishop]] of Moravia and Silesia at the Orthodox leader Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in the new nation Belgrade, Yugoslavia, by [[Patriarch]] Dimitri of Czechoslovakia, Serbia. Bp. Gorazd laid (Pavlik) is considered to be in the foundations succession from Archbishop Methodius of the Orthodox Church throughout Bohemia, Moravia, and into Slovakia. In Bohemia, he oversaw bears the building name of eleven churches and two chapels. He also had published the essential books for the conduct one of church service that were translated in the Czech languageSt. He provided aid to those in Slovakia Methodius's disciples and Subcarpathian Russia which then were part of Czechoslovakia, and who wanted to return to their ancestral Orthodox faith. Thus, in the intra war periodsuccessor, Bp. Gorazd built the small Czech [[church]] that during World War II would show how firmly it was connected to the Czech nation.

As the Orthodox leader in the new nation of Czechoslovakia, Bp. Gorazd laid the foundations of the Orthodox Church throughout Bohemia, Moravia, and into Slovakia. In Bohemia, he oversaw the building of eleven churches and two chapels. He also published the essential books for the conduct of church services that were translated in the Czech language. He provided aid to those in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Russia which then were part of Czechoslovakia, and who wanted to return to their ancestral Orthodox faith from the [[Unia]]. Thus, in the interbellum period, Bp. Gorazd built the small Czech church that during World War II would show how firmly it was connected to the Czech nation.[[Image:Pravoslavny katedralni chram sv. Cyrila a Metodeje Resslova Praha.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic]]As Hitler and his Nazis swept through Europe, a harsh rule descended on each nation. Czechoslovakia was no different as it suffered under the rule of Hitler’s Hitler's heir apparent, Reichsprotector Reinhard Heydrich. After the [[May 27]], 1942 , assassination attack on Heydrich’s Heydrich's car near the [[SS Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)|Ss. Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Cathedral]] in Prague, the Czech patriots took refuge in the [[crypt]] of the Cathedral cathedral before continuing their escape. They were aided in this by senior church [[laity|laymen and about which ]], who kept Bp. Gorazd was informed. However, their presence was discovered by the Nazis, and on [[June 18]] the Nazis attacked their hiding place in the Cathedralcathedral, killing them. The Orthodox [[priest]]s, laymen, and Bp. Gorazd were arrested and killed by firing squads on [[September 4]], 1942.

In reprisal the Nazis forbid forbade the church to operate in Bohemia and Moravia, the churches . Churches and chapels were closed, and a round rounding up of Czechs was conducted, including the whole village of Lidice, whose inhabitants were either killed or sent off to forced labor camps. For the Orthodox the whole church fell under the Nazi persecutions persecution and was decimated. A total of 256 Orthodox priests and lay people laymen were executed, and church life came to a stop.

After World War II the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia began its recovery, without its beloved bishop. On [[December 9]], 1951, the Patriarch of Moscow granted an [[autocephalousautocephaly]] status to the Orthodox Church of Czechoslovakia. The Patriarch of , though this action was not recognized by Constantinople followed on August 27, 1998 with a which regarded the Czechoslovakian church as being [[Tomos]] of [[autocephalyautonomy|autonomous]]under its authority.  The Patriarch of Constantinople later granted a [[martyrtomos]]dom of Bp. Gorazd was recognized by the Serbian Orthodox Church on [[May 4autocephaly]], 1961, as a New Martyr. Subsequently, on [[August 2427]], 1987 he was glorified at the Cathedral of St. Gorazd in Olomouc, Moravia1998.

After the Czech repose of His Beatitude, [[Metropolitan]] [[Dorotheus (Filipp) of Prague|Dorotheus]] of Prague and Slovak Republics separated into independent republics in 1993All Czechoslovakia, activity continued in each country as separate legal entities: in [[Archbishop]] Nicholas of Presov was elected the Czech Republic as the '''Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands''' new metropolitan, and in the Slovak Republic as the church'''Orthodox Church in Slovakia'''s primatial see was moved from Prague to Presov. Metr. Nicholas reposed on [[January 30]], 2006, but canonical unity and was maintained as the '''Orthodox Church replaced by Archbishop Christopher of Prague and the Czech Lands (elected [[May 2]], 2006). Metr. Christopher resigned in April 2013 amidst allegations of wrongdoings, and Slovakiathe present ''locum tenens'. The Orthodox Church ' is Abp [[Simeon (Jakovljević) of the Czech Lands Brno and Slovakia is now organized into four eparchies divided into two administrative centers: the Metropolitan Council for the Czech Republic resident in Prague and the Metropolitan Council for the Slovak Republic in Presov. Under the Council in Prague are the eparchies Olomouc|Simeon of Prague Brno and Olomouc-Brno]], while the eparchies senior bishop of Presov, and Michalovce are under the Council for SlovakiaChurch.

After the repose of His Beatitude, [[Metropolitan]] Dorotheus of Prague and All Czechoslovakia, [[Archbishop]] Nicholas of Presov was elected the new Metropolitan and the Church’s primatial see was moved from Prague to Presov.  In the Czech Republic, there are 82 [[parish]]es , with 51 in Bohemia and 31 in Moravia and Silesia. In the Republic of Slovakia, there are 69 parishes in the [[eparchy]] of Presov and 21 parishes in the eparchy of Michalovce. The Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Presov provides an education for future [[priest]]s of the combined Church. The faculty maintains a detached branch in Olomouc.

== External Links links==*[http://www.pravoslavnacirkev.cz/ Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands]*[http://www.orthodox.sk/ Orthodox Church in Slovakia]*[http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg-us.aspx?eccpageID=26&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: The Orthodox Church in Czech and Slovak Republics], a scholarly text by Ronald Roberson, CSP, a Roman Catholic priest and Eastern Christianity scholar

[[Categoryes:JurisdictionsIglesia Ortodoxa de Chequia y Eslovaquia]][[fr:Église de Tchéquie et de Slovaquie]][[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă a Cehiei şi Slovaciei]][[ru:Чехословацкая православная церковь]]