Orthodox countries make up large percentage of the total number of states on the planet and are geographically scattered throughout the world, but they are most concentrated in Europe and the East.

Not many religions in modern world who managed to preserve their rules and main dogmas, supporters and faithful servants of their faith and church. Orthodoxy is one of these religions.

Orthodoxy as a branch of Christianity

The very word “Orthodoxy” is interpreted as “correct glorification of God” or “correct service.”

This religion belongs to one of the most widespread religions in the world - Christianity, and it arose after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the division of churches in 1054 AD.

Basics of Christianity

This religion is based on dogmas, which are interpreted in the Holy Scriptures and in Holy Tradition.

The first includes the book of the Bible, consisting of two parts (New and Old Testaments), and the Apocrypha, which are sacred texts that were not included in the Bible.

The second consists of seven and the works of the church fathers who lived in the second to fourth centuries AD. These people include John Chrysostom, Athanasius of Alexandrovsky, Gregory the Theologian, Basil the Great, and John of Damascus.

Distinctive features of Orthodoxy

In all Orthodox countries, the main tenets of this branch of Christianity are observed. These include the following: the trinity of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), salvation from doomsday through confession of faith, atonement for sins, incarnation, resurrection and ascension of God the Son - Jesus Christ.

All these rules and dogmas were approved in 325 and 382 at the first two Ecumenical Councils. proclaimed them eternal, indisputable and communicated to humanity by the Lord God himself.

Orthodox countries of the world

The religion Orthodoxy is professed by approximately 220 to 250 million people. This number of believers is a tenth of all Christians on the planet. Orthodoxy is spread throughout the world, but the highest percentages of people who profess this religion are in Greece, Moldova and Romania - 99.9%, 99.6% and 90.1% respectively. Other Orthodox countries have a slightly lower percentage of Christians, but Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Montenegro also have high percentages.

The largest number of people whose religion is Orthodoxy live in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Middle East; there are a large number of religious diasporas throughout the world.

List of Orthodox countries

An Orthodox country is one in which Orthodoxy is recognized as the state religion.

The country in which greatest number Orthodox, the Russian Federation is considered. IN percentage it is, of course, inferior to Greece, Moldova and Romania, but the number of believers significantly exceeds these Orthodox countries.

• Greece - 99.9%.
• Moldova - 99.9%.
• Romania - 90.1%.
• Serbia - 87.6%.
• Bulgaria - 85.7%.
• Georgia - 78.1%.
• Montenegro - 75.6%.
• Belarus - 74.6%.
• Russia - 72.5%.
• Macedonia - 64.7%.
• Cyprus - 69.3%.
• Ukraine - 58.5%.
• Ethiopia - 51%.
• Albania - 45.2%.
• Estonia - 24.3%.

The distribution of Orthodoxy across countries, depending on the number of believers, is as follows: in first place is Russia with the number of believers 101,450,000 people, Ethiopia has Orthodox Christians 36,060,000, Ukraine - 34,850,000, Romania - 18,750,000, Greece - 10,030,000, Serbia - 6,730,000, Bulgaria - 6,220,000, Belarus - 5,900,000, Egypt - 3,860,000, and Georgia - 3,820,000 Orthodox.

Peoples who profess Orthodoxy

Let's consider the spread of this belief among the peoples of the world, and according to statistics, most of the Orthodox are among the Eastern Slavs. These include peoples such as Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. In second place in the popularity of Orthodoxy as a native religion are the South Slavs. These are Bulgarians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Serbs.

Moldovans, Georgians, Romanians, Greeks and Abkhazians are also mostly Orthodox.

Orthodoxy in the Russian Federation

As noted above, the country of Russia is Orthodox, the number of believers is the largest in the world and extends over its entire large territory.

Orthodox Russia is famous for its multinationality; this country is home to a large number of peoples with different cultural and traditional heritage. But most of these people are united by their faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To such Orthodox peoples Russian Federation include the Nenets, Yakuts, Chukchi, Chuvash, Ossetians, Udmurts, Mari, Nenets, Mordovians, Karelians, Koryaks, Vepsians, the peoples of the Komi Republic and Chuvashia.

Orthodoxy in North America

It is believed that Orthodoxy is a faith that is widespread in the Eastern part of Europe and a small part of Asia, but this religion is also present in North America, thanks to the huge diasporas of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Greeks and other peoples resettled from Orthodox countries .

Most North Americans are Christians, but they belong to the Catholic branch of this religion.

It's a little different in Canada and the US.

Many Canadians consider themselves Christians, but rarely attend church. Of course, there is a slight difference depending on the region of the country and urban or rural areas. It is known that city residents are less religious than country people. The religion of Canada is mainly Christian, the majority of believers are Catholics, followed by other Christians, and a significant portion are Mormons.

The concentration of the last two religious movements very different from region to country. For example, many Lutherans live in the maritime provinces, once settled there by the British.

And in Manitoba and Saskatchewan there are many Ukrainians who profess Orthodoxy and are adherents of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In the United States, Christians are less devout, but, compared to Europeans, they attend church more often and perform religious rituals.

Mormons are mainly concentrated in Alberta due to the migration of Americans who are representatives of this religious movement.

Basic sacraments and rituals of Orthodoxy

This Christian movement is based on seven main actions, each of which symbolizes something and strengthens human faith in the Lord God.

The first, which is performed in infancy, is baptism, which is carried out by immersing a person in water three times. This number of dives is done in honor of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This ritual signifies a person’s spiritual birth and acceptance of the Orthodox faith.

The second action, which occurs only after baptism, is the Eucharist or communion. It is carried out through eating a small piece of bread and a sip of wine, symbolizing the eating of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Orthodox Christians also have access to confession, or repentance. This sacrament consists of confessing all one’s sins before God, which a person says before a priest, who, in turn, absolves sins in the name of God.

A symbol of preserving the resulting purity of the soul that was after baptism is the sacrament of confirmation.

A ritual that is performed jointly by two Orthodox Christians is a wedding, an action in which, in the name of Jesus Christ, the newlyweds are given farewell to a long family life. The ceremony is performed by a priest.

Unction is a sacrament during which a sick person is anointed with oil (wood oil), which is considered sacred. This action symbolizes the descent of God's grace on a person.

The Orthodox have another sacrament that is available only to priests and bishops. It is called priesthood and consists of the transfer of special grace from the bishop to the new priest, the validity of which is for life.

ORTHODOXY, one of the main directions of Christianity. Although both branches of Christianity - Eastern and Western, which accepted the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon - called themselves Orthodox, or Orthodox (from the Greek orthodoxia - Orthodoxy), after the schism that occurred in 1054, the name "Orthodox" was assigned to the Eastern Church.

It is believed that Orthodoxy arose in 33 among the Greeks living in Jerusalem. Its founder was Jesus Christ himself. Of all Christian movements, Orthodoxy has preserved to the greatest extent the features and traditions of early Christianity.

The main provisions of Orthodox dogma are contained in the Nicene-Constantinople (Nicene-Constantinople) Creed, adopted at the I and II Ecumenical Councils, held respectively in 325 in Nicaea and in 381 in Constantinople (Constantinople). Two others christian symbol faiths - the Apostolic and Afanasyevsky are not rejected by Orthodoxy, however, it is believed that they are covered by the Nicene-Constantinopolitan symbol. This symbol consists of 12 members and especially reflects in detail those issues over which disputes arose and heresies were formed. The formula adopted by the Orthodox at the I and II Ecumenical Councils did not change and was preserved in its original form. It is as follows: “I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the next century. Amen".

Thus, the Orthodox believe in one God, appearing in three persons - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - the Divine Trinity. The first member of the creed is dedicated to God the Father, who created all existing world. From the second to the seventh members of the creed are dedicated to the Son of God - Jesus Christ. According to Orthodox teaching, Jesus Christ has a dual nature: divine and human. He was born (not created) by God the Father before the creation of the world. In his earthly life, Jesus Christ was born as a result of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Spirit. Orthodox believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For the sake of saving people, He came to Earth and accepted martyrdom on the cross. They also believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension into heaven. They are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ (when it will be, only God knows) and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. The eighth member of the creed is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which, according to Orthodox doctrine, comes only from God the Father. The ninth article of the Creed speaks of the Church, which is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. It is one because God is one and because there is one head of the Church - Jesus Christ. The holiness of the church comes from God. The Church is considered conciliar (or catholic) because it is complete, complete, and does not need additions. The church is called apostolic because it is based on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit sent by God the Father, as well as on the apostles sent by Jesus Christ to spread his faith. Joining the Church occurs through baptism - the tenth article of the creed is dedicated to this. Orthodox believe that this member also includes 6 other sacraments. The eleventh and twelfth articles of the creed speak of belief in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life.

At the Second Ecumenical Council, it was decided not to make any changes or additions to the creed in the future, so as not to distort the faith.

Orthodox believe in posthumous reward - heaven and hell.

The religious symbol of the Orthodox is the cross, and a four-, six-, and eight-pointed cross is recognized.

Orthodoxy recognizes seven sacraments (sacraments in which invisible Divine grace is given under a visible sign). These are baptism, confirmation, communion (Eucharist), confession (repentance), marriage, priesthood, consecration of oil (unction). The so-called evangelical sacraments - baptism and communion - are especially highlighted as sacraments directly established by Jesus Christ. Baptism is seen as a spiritual birth, during which the natural man with his original sin dies and a new one is born. In the Orthodox Church, baptism is usually performed by immersing the person being baptized in water three times. Communion is the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, into which, it is believed, the bread and wine served for communion are transformed during the sacrament. The Eucharist has the meaning of a bloodless sacrifice. Immediately after baptism in the Orthodox Church, the sacrament of confirmation is performed. It means the general ordination of the laity, during which a person is called to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The sacrament of confession (repentance) has the goal of reconciling a person with God. If at baptism a person is freed from original sin, then at confession a person is absolved of personal sins. The sacrament of the consecration of oil has a dual purpose: as a result, the Orthodox believe, a person is freed from private unrepentant sins and is given health and healing from illness, or is given strength for Christian death. The sacraments of marriage and priesthood are not performed on all members of the church. The sacrament of marriage sanctifies the marital union of a man and a woman. It is believed that Christian marriage is concluded by the power of the Holy Spirit and does not end with death, but continues in the Kingdom of God. Priesthood is the sacrament of transmitting, through episcopal ordination, the gifts of the Holy Spirit to clergy: bishops, priests and deacons.

Along with the 7 noted sacraments, other actions are performed in the church that impart grace, although they are not considered sacraments. This is the consecration of icons and crosses, the consecration of holy water, bread, other food, etc., burial, tonsure as a monk (the last two actions in early Christianity were considered sacraments).

The Orthodox recognize both Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. The Holy Scripture (Bible) consists of the Old and New Testaments. The Orthodox Church considers not only canonical books to be authentic Old Testament, but also books that were not included in the canon, considering them as additions to Holy Scripture, like books, although not inspired by God, are good, edifying and sacred. IN New Testament includes the four Gospels, as well as the books “The Acts of the Holy Apostles”, 21 Epistles of the Apostles and the book “The Revelation of John the Theologian” (Apocalypse). Sacred Tradition in the broad sense of the word is the living memory of the Church, it is the Church’s preservation of its teachings different ways. In this sense, the Bible (Holy Scripture) can be considered as part of Sacred Tradition. In a narrower sense, Sacred Tradition is understood as the decrees of councils recognized by the church and the teachings of the Church Fathers of the 2nd-8th centuries. The Orthodox Church recognizes only the first 7 Ecumenical Councils, held before the separation of the Western branch: I Nicaea (325), I Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), II Constantinople (553), III Constantinople (680), II Nicene (787).

According to Orthodox doctrine, for salvation a person needs the help of the clergy. The beginning of the Orthodox clergy was laid by the apostles, who, through ordination, transmitted the gifts of the Holy Spirit to believers and thus created the church hierarchy. It is emphasized that the strength of this hierarchy lies in its continuous apostolic succession. Currently, the Orthodox clergy has a three-tier hierarchy: deacons, priests (priests) and bishops (bishops, archbishops, metropolitans, patriarchs), and in charismatic terms all bishops are equal. Only men can have holy orders. The Orthodox practice monasticism (there are male and nunneries). Depending on tonsure or non- tonsure into monasticism, the Orthodox clergy is divided into black (monastic) and white. Only the first two hierarchical degrees are available to the white clergy. Only monastic priests are ordained bishops. White priests have the right to marry before being ordained, while black clergy take a vow of celibacy. Most Orthodox sacraments can be performed by both bishops and priests. The sacrament of the priesthood is performed only by bishops, and according to established tradition, when installing bishops, there must be at least two ordaining bishops (although in the history of Orthodoxy there were exceptions to this rule). In exceptional cases, the sacrament of baptism can also be performed by a layman (a man or woman professing Christianity).

In Orthodoxy, the veneration of the Mother of God, angels and saints is widespread, as well as the veneration of holy relics and sacred relics, and communication with God and saints in front of icons is common.

The Orthodox have a complex, elaborate and extremely solemn cult. Worship services are longer than in most other Christian denominations. There is a divine service for each day of the weekly and annual cycles, as well as for special periods: fasting, holidays, etc.

In Orthodoxy, in addition to public worship, there are also private ones, performed to meet the needs of a specific person (performing sacraments, prayer services for the sick, traveling, etc., services for the deceased, memorial services, etc.). The most important public service is the liturgy. Currently, the Orthodox celebrate the Liturgy of John Chrysostom, the Liturgy of Basil the Great and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. The rite of the liturgy consists of three parts: proskomedia (during which the priest or bishop prepares bread and wine for communion), the liturgy of the catechumens and the liturgy of the faithful. Previously, everyone could attend the Liturgy of the Catechumens, but only the baptized were allowed to attend the Liturgy of the Faithful. Currently, even non-Christians are allowed to attend the Liturgy of the Faithful.

During the service, candles are lit, incense is used, and the clergy are dressed in elegant vestments. Orthodox worship accompanied by choral singing (musical instruments are not used in worship, since it is believed that the human voice cannot be replaced with unreasonable, albeit beautiful sounds).

The Orthodox do not have strict ecclesiastical centralization. Large local churches are completely independent, or autocephalous. All autocephalous churches have equal rights, regardless of how the head of one or another church is called: patriarch, metropolitan or archbishop. Currently, 15 churches have autocephaly: Constantinople (Ecumenical), Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Hellenic (Greek), Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American. In addition, there are autonomous Orthodox churches that are subordinate to one of the autocephalous churches: the Sinai Church is dependent on the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, the Finnish Church is dependent on the Constantinople Church, the Japanese Church is dependent on the Russian Church. Recently, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has gained significant autonomy. Some Orthodox churches (for example, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate) declared themselves independent, but their independence was not recognized by the autocephalous churches. There are also Orthodox church organizations that do not recognize the leadership of any autocephalous church, although they do not claim autocephaly. Such church organizations include, in particular, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, which separated from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Orthodox Christians do not have a single calendar. Most autocephalous Orthodox churches switched to Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar is still followed by the Russian, Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian churches. However, in almost all churches that have adopted the Gregorian calendar, there are groups of clergy and believers who continue to use the Julian calendar in church life. The most numerous groups of supporters of the old calendar are in Greece. The Julian calendar is also preserved in the autonomous monasteries of Athos (Greece), whose inhabitants are particularly consistently opposed to the transition to the Gregorian calendar.

Due to the fact that different Orthodox churches have different calendars, the holidays celebrated in them, although fundamentally identical, fall on different days.

The biggest holiday among Orthodox Christians is Easter - “the holiday of holidays.” Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring equinox and full moon, provided that it does not coincide with the Jewish Passover. Another 12 holidays are considered the main ones, they are called the twelfths. The twelfth holidays include the Nativity of Christ (celebrated on December 25 in churches that have adopted the Gregorian calendar, and on January 7 according to the new style in churches that have preserved Julian calendar), Epiphany, or Epiphany (January 6/19), Presentation of the Lord (February 2/15), Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6/19), Christmas Holy Mother of God(September 8/21), Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25/April 7), Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21/December 4), Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15/28), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14/27) , the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (the last Sunday before Easter), the Ascension of the Lord (the fortieth day after Easter) and Pentecost, or the Day of the Holy Trinity (the fiftieth day after Easter).

In addition to the twelve holidays, all Orthodox Christians celebrate the Circumcision of the Lord, the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Birth of John the Baptist and the beheading of his head, the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul, the days of remembrance of some saints, for example, St. Nicholas, Great Martyr George, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian. Each local church has its own especially revered saints. Many major holidays are preceded by Orthodox forefeasts. Before some holidays (Easter, Christmas, Dormition, the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul), multi-day fasts are observed. It is considered especially strict Lent before Easter. There are also one-day posts.

The total number of Orthodox Christians in 1996 was 182 million people. The largest number of them is in Russia - according to various estimates, 70-80 million. Orthodox Christians also live in Ukraine (about 30 million), Romania (20 million), Greece (9.5 million), Belarus (about 5 million .), Yugoslavia - Serbia and Montenegro (about 7 million), Bulgaria (6 million), Moldova (about 3 million), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1.2 million), Macedonia (1.2 million), Germany (over 550 thousand), Poland (800 thousand), Croatia (700 thousand), Albania (over 350 thousand), Great Britain (440 thousand), Estonia (300 thousand), France (over 260 thousand). ), Latvia (about 400 thousand), Lithuania (150 thousand), Sweden (about 75 thousand), Austria (70 thousand), Switzerland (70 thousand), Finland (56 thousand), Belgium (53 thousand .), Italy (36 thousand), Slovakia (34 thousand), Hungary (30 thousand), Czech Republic (about 75 thousand). In Russia, Orthodoxy is practiced primarily by the overwhelming majority of Russian believers. Orthodoxy is also adhered to by the main part of the Karelians, Vepsians, Izhorians, Sami, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Udmurts, Besermyans, Maris, Mordovians, Chuvashs, Nagaibaks, Ossetians, Gypsies, Kumandins, Teleuts, Chulyms, Khakassians, Yakuts, Kamchadals. The majority of Nenets, Mansi, Khanty, Selkups, Kets, Tubalars, Shors, Nanais, Ulchi, Oroks, Orochs, Aleuts, Itelmens, Yukaghirs, Chuvans are considered Orthodox, although Orthodoxy is usually combined with remnants of traditional beliefs. The Orthodox faith is also professed by the majority of Ukrainians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Georgians, Bulgarians, Gagauzians, and Greeks living in Russia. Many Western Buryats, part of the Kalmyks, Tatars (Kryashens), Kabardins (Mozdok), Dolgans, Chukchi, Koryaks, Alyutors, Nivkhs are also Orthodox.

In Ukraine, Orthodoxy is adhered to, in addition to the majority of Ukrainians, by Russians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Romanians, Greeks, and Gypsies living in the country. IN

In which countries is Orthodoxy practiced?

1. See Orthodoxy. ru local churches...
2. Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia, Cyprus.
   But I don’t know...
   but it’s a fact that I didn’t list all the countries but...
   I think I helped you in some way.)))
3. Orthodox (overwhelming majority) peoples are Russians, Georgians, Serbs, Greeks, Romanians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Montenegrins. In other countries, of course, there are also Orthodox communities, but they are a minority there. By the way, Armenians are Christians, but not Orthodox from the point of view of local Orthodox churches, since they are Monophysites. That is, the Armenian Church recognizes only the Divine nature of Christ. And the Orthodox local churches are Dyophysites. That is, recognizing both the Divine and human nature Christ.
4. Orthodoxy predominates among the Eastern Slavs. This religion is followed by about 80% of Russians, 80% of Belarusians and 76% of Ukrainians. On the territory of Russia, in addition, Islam, Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism are represented approximately equally. In Ukraine, 13.5% are Uniates 1, 8.2% are Muslims, the rest are Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. In Belarus, 15% are Catholics, about 2% are Uniates, the rest are Protestants and Jews.

   For historical reasons, Orthodoxy took root among the Western Slavs to a lesser extent than among the Eastern and Southern Slavs. In Poland, 95% are Catholics, the rest are Orthodox, Protestants (mostly Lutherans), Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses. In the Czech Republic, 65% are Catholics, the rest are Protestants and Orthodox. In Slovakia, 60% are Catholics, the rest are Protestants (Calvinists and Lutherans). Lusatian Serbs living in Germany profess Protestantism (Lutherans) and Catholicism.

   The South Slavs, on the one hand, were greatly influenced by Byzantium, on the other, for a long time they were under the rule of the Ottoman Porte. In this regard, Orthodoxy and Islam are practiced in many South Slavic states. Thus, in Bulgaria 85% are Orthodox, 13% are Muslim, 2% are representatives of other religious movements. Moreover, in the Rhodope Mountains (south of Plovdiv) live 250 thousand Pomaks of Slavic origin who converted to Islam at a time when Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire. In Macedonia, 68% are Macedonian Slavs who profess Christianity according to Orthodox rituals. The non-Slavic population of this state professes Islam. In Croatia, 80% of the population is Catholic, 12% Orthodox, 8% Muslim. In Slovenia, 80% are Catholics, the rest of the believers profess Christianity according to the Orthodox rite or Judaism. In Serbia and Montenegro, 67% of the population (Serbs and Montenegrins) are Orthodox, 3% of the population are Slavic Muslims; Albanians (16% of the population) also practice Islam, and Hungarians (3% of the population) are Catholics. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 43% of the population professes Islam (Sunnism), 31% Orthodoxy, 2% Catholicism, 4% Protestantism. Moreover, on the territory of this country live Slavic Muslims (Bosnians, self-name Boshaci) 43%, Serbs 31%, Croats 17%, other nationalities 9%. Muslims, or Bosnians, are the descendants of the Slavs who converted to Islam during Turkish rule. They separated from the rest of the Slavic population and acquired the cultural traits of the Turkish population. During the population census at the beginning of the 20th century. they were called undecided Yugoslavs. In the 60s of the XX century. this ethnic group was officially recognized.

5. Greece,
   Cyprus,
   Bulgaria,
   Romania,
   Macedonia,
   Montenegro,
   Serbia,
   Bosnia,
   Belarus,
   Ukraine,
   Russia,
   Syria,
   Ethiopia,
   Eritrea,
   Egypt (Coptic Orthodox Church, Egyptian Orthodox Church),
   Georgia,
   Armenia,
   Japan (partially)...
   And some more...
   And also those where there are strong Orthodox communities... .

   If the Orthodox were engaged in colonization and crusades, then perhaps more...
   But quantity does not mean quality...

   P.S. Thanks for the good question...

6. Officially in Greece. This is the state religion. There are probably some other countries, but I don’t know for sure.
7. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Japan, France - in all these countries there are quite strong Orthodox communities, perhaps there are in other countries, I don’t know for sure. And the Japanese Orthodox Church, oddly enough, is under the control of the Russian Orthodox Church.
8. Countries professing Protestantism are the most developed and rich. Where they profess Catholicism, it is more modest, but there is also poverty, devastation, and hopelessness, and only in Orthodox countries, especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union. What, they hit you on the right cheek, turn your left? Well, we live with these postulates, watching how the highest Orthodox “bosses” live - in super-luxury and wealth, spitting on the postulates for the flock. Our Father, where are you looking?!
9. Orthodoxy - glorifying Rule, by definition, has nothing to do with any religion. This is a Slavic-Aryan, Vedic worldview. The concept of Orthodoxy came from the Slavic-Aryan, Vedic worldview; applying such a concept only to religions is not only incompatible, but unacceptable. It contradicts any religious worldview. And it was taken because at the time of the emergence of religions, people believed in Orthodoxy, and they could not impose another worldview on them except through deception and force. In the future, deception and the imposition of religions by force under the guise of Orthodoxy are no longer mentioned, disorienting people.

How well do you know your faith, its traditions and saints, as well as the position of the Orthodox Church in the modern world? Test yourself by reading the TOP 50 interesting facts about Orthodoxy!

We present to your attention the first part of our collection of interesting facts.

1. Why “Orthodoxy”?

Orthodoxy (Talka from the Greek ὀρθοδοξία - orthodoxy. Literally “correct judgment”, “correct teaching” or “correct glorification” - the true doctrine of the knowledge of God, communicated to man by the grace of the Holy Spirit present in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

2. What do Orthodox Christians believe?

Orthodox Christians believe in one God-Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has one essence, but at the same time three hypostases.

Orthodox Christians, professing faith in the Holy Trinity, base it on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed without additions or distortions and on the dogmas of faith established by meetings of bishops at seven Ecumenical Councils.

“Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in Spirit and Truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God’s glorification of man, a true servant of God, by bestowing upon him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy,” wrote Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

3. How is the Orthodox Church organized?

Today it is divided into 15 autocephalous (fully independent) Local Orthodox Churches, which have mutual Eucharistic communion with each other and constitute a single body of the Church founded by the Savior. At the same time, the founder and head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. When did Orthodoxy appear?

In the 1st century, on the day of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles) 33 years from the Nativity of Christ.

After the Catholics fell away from the fullness of Orthodoxy in 1054, in order to distinguish themselves from the Roman Patriarchate, which accepted some doctrinal distortions, the Eastern patriarchates adopted the name “Orthodox”.

5. Ecumenical Councils and Pan-Orthodox Council

A Pan-Orthodox Council is scheduled to take place at the end of June 2016. Some people mistakenly call it the Eighth Ecumenical Council, but this is not so. Ecumenical councils have always dealt with significant heresies that threatened the existence of the Church, which is not planned now.

In addition, the Eighth Ecumenical Council had already taken place - in Constantinople in 879 under Patriarch Photius. However, since the Ninth Ecumenical Council did not take place (and the previous Ecumenical Council is traditionally declared to be the subsequent Ecumenical Council), at the moment there are officially seven Ecumenical Councils.

6. Female clergy

In Orthodoxy it is impossible to imagine a woman as a deacon, priest or bishop. This is not due to discrimination or disrespect for women (an example of this is the Virgin Mary, revered above all saints). The fact is that a priest or bishop at a divine service represents the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he became human and lived his earthly life as a man, which is why he cannot be represented by a woman.

The deaconesses known in the Ancient Church were not female deacons, but catechists who talked with people before Baptism and performed other functions of clergy.

7. Number of Orthodox Christians

Data from mid-2015 indicate that there are 2,419 million Christians in the world, of which 267-314 million belong to Orthodoxy.

In fact, if we take away 17 million schismatics of various persuasions and 70 million members of the Ancient Eastern Churches (who do not accept the decisions of one or more Ecumenical Councils), then 180-227 million people around the world can be considered strictly Orthodox.

8. What types of Orthodox Churches exist?

There are fifteen Local Orthodox Churches:

• Patriarchate of Constantinople
• Patriarchate of Alexandria
• Patriarchate of Antioch
• Jerusalem Patriarchate
• Moscow Patriarchate
• Serbian Patriarchate
• Romanian Patriarchate
• Bulgarian Patriarchate
• Georgian Patriarchate
• Cypriot Orthodox Church
• Greek Orthodox Church
• Polish Orthodox Church
• Albanian Orthodox Church
• Czechoslovak Orthodox Church
• Orthodox Church of America

Within the Local Churches there are also Autonomous Churches with varying degrees of independence:

• Sinai Orthodox Church IP
• Finnish Orthodox Church KP
• Japanese Orthodox Church MP
• Chinese Orthodox Church MP
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church MP
• Ohrid Archdiocese SP

9. Five largest Orthodox Churches

The largest Orthodox Church in the world is the Russian Church, numbering 90-120 million believers. The following four Churches in descending order are:

Romanian, Hellenic, Serbian and Bulgarian.

10. The most Orthodox states

The most Orthodox state in the world is... South Ossetia! In it, 99% of the population consider themselves to be Orthodox (more than 50 thousand people out of more than 51 thousand people).

Russia, in percentage terms, is not even in the top ten and is at the bottom of the dozen most Orthodox states in the world:

Greece (98%), Transnistrian Moldavian Republic (96.4%), Moldova (93.3%), Serbia (87.6%), Bulgaria (85.7%), Romania (81.9%), Georgia( 78.1%), Montenegro (75.6%), Ukraine (74.7%), Belarus (74.6%), Russia (72.5%).

11. Large Orthodox communities

In some “non-traditional” countries for Orthodoxy there are very large Orthodox communities.

So, in the USA it is 5 million people, in Canada 680 thousand, in Mexico 400 thousand, in Brazil 180 thousand, in Argentina 140 thousand, in Chile 70 thousand, in Sweden 94 thousand, in Belgium 80 thousand, in Austria 452 thousand, in Great Britain 450 thousand, Germany 1.5 million, France 240 thousand, Spain 60 thousand, Italy 1 million, 200 thousand in Croatia, 40 thousand in Jordan, 30 thousand in Japan, 1 million Orthodox each in Cameroon, Democratic The Republic of Congo and Kenya, 1.5 million in Uganda, more than 40 thousand in Tanzania and 100 thousand in South Africa, as well as 66 thousand in New Zealand and more than 620 thousand in Australia.

12. State religion

In Romania and Greece, Orthodoxy is the state religion, the Law of God is taught in schools, and the salaries of priests are paid from the state budget.

13. All over the world

Christianity is the only religion represented in all 232 countries of the world. Orthodoxy is represented in 137 countries of the world.

14. Martyrdom

Throughout history, more than 70 million Christians have become martyrs, with 45 million of them dying in the 20th century. According to some reports, in the 21st century, every year the number of those killed for faith in Christ increases by 100 thousand people.

15. “Urban” religion

Christianity initially spread precisely through the cities of the Roman Empire, coming to rural areas 30-50 years later.

Today, the majority of Christians (64%) also live in cities.

16. "Religion of the Book"

The basic doctrinal truths and traditions of Christians are written in the Bible. Accordingly, in order to become a Christian, it was necessary to master literacy.

Often, previously unenlightened peoples received, along with Christianity, their own writing, literature and history and the associated sharp cultural upsurge.

Today, the proportion of literate and educated people among Christians is higher than among atheists and representatives of other faiths. For men, this share is 88% of the total number, and for women - 81%.

17. Amazing Lebanon

The country, in which about 60% of the inhabitants are Muslims and 40% are Christians, has managed without religious conflicts for more than a thousand years.

According to the Constitution, Lebanon has its own special political system - confessionalism, and from each confession there is always a strictly specified number of deputies in the local parliament. The President of Lebanon must always be a Christian and the Prime Minister a Muslim.

18. Orthodox name Inna

The name Inna was originally a masculine name. It was worn by a disciple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called - a Christian preacher of the 2nd century, who, together with the preachers Rimma and Pinna, was brutally killed by the pagan ruler of Scythia and received the status of a martyr. However, having reached the Slavs, the name gradually transformed into a feminine one.

19. First century

By the end of the 1st century, Christianity spread throughout the entire territory of the Roman Empire and even crossed its borders (Ethiopia, Persia), and the number of believers reached 800,000 people.

By this same period, all four canonical Gospels were written down, and Christians received their self-name, which was first heard in Antioch.

20. Armenia

The first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion was Armenia. Saint Gregory the Illuminator brought the Christian faith to this country from Byzantium at the beginning of the 4th century. Gregory not only preached in the Caucasus countries, but also invented the alphabet for the Armenian and Georgian languages.

21. Shooting rockets is the most orthodox game

Every year on Easter in the Greek town of Vrontados on the island of Chios there is a missile confrontation between two churches. The goal of their parishioners is to hit the bell tower of the opposing church, and the winner is determined the next day by counting the number of hits.

22. Where on Orthodox cross crescent?

Some people mistakenly believe that it appeared during the Christian-Muslim wars. Allegedly, “the cross defeats the crescent.”

In fact, this is an ancient Christian symbol of an anchor - a reliable support in the stormy sea of ​​everyday passions. Anchor crosses were found back in the first centuries of Christianity, when not a single person on Earth had ever heard of Islam.

23. The largest bell in the world

In 1655, Alexander Grigoriev cast a bell weighing 8 thousand poods (128 tons), and in 1668 it was raised to the belfry in the Kremlin.

According to eyewitness accounts, at least 40 people were required to swing the tongue of the bell, which weighed more than 4 tons.

The miracle bell rang until 1701, when during one of the fires it fell and broke.

24. Image of God the Father

The image of God the Father was prohibited by the Great Moscow Council back in the 17th century on the grounds that God “is never seen in the flesh.” However, there are quite a few iconographic images where God the Father is represented as a handsome old man with a triangular halo.

In the history of literature there have been many works that became world bestsellers, interest in which lasted for years. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared.

And the Bible, without any advertising, has been popular for almost 2000 years, being today the No. 1 bestseller. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies, that is, one Bible is printed every second in the world.

Andrey Szegeda

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Orthodoxy is divided into two main denominations: the Orthodox Church and the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church is the second largest community in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The Ancient Eastern Orthodox Church has similar dogmas as the Orthodox Church, but in practice there is a difference in religious rites, which are more diverse than those of the conservative Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church is dominant in Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine, while the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Church is dominant in Armenia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

10. Georgia (3.8 million)

The Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church has about 3.8 million parishioners. It belongs to the Orthodox Church. Georgia's Orthodox population is the largest in the country and is governed by Holy Synod Bishops.

The current Constitution of Georgia recognizes the role of the church, but determines its independence from the state. This fact is the opposite of the historical structure of the country before 1921, when Orthodoxy was the official state religion.

9. Egypt (3.9 million)

The majority of Egyptian Christians are parishioners of the Orthodox Church, amounting to about 3.9 million believers. The largest church denomination is the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which is a follower of the Armenian and Syriac Ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Church in Egypt was founded in 42 AD. Apostle and Evangelist Saint Mark.

8. Belarus (5.9 million)

The Belarusian Orthodox Church is part of the Orthodox Church and has up to 6 million parishioners in the country. The Church is in full canonical communion with the Russian Orthodox Church and is the largest denomination in Belarus.

7. Bulgaria (6.2 million)

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has about 6.2 million independent believers of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the oldest in the Slavic region, founded in the 5th century in the Bulgarian Empire. Orthodoxy is also the largest religion in Bulgaria.

6. Serbia (6.7 million)

The Autonomous Serbian Orthodox Church, referred to as the Autocephalous Orthodox Church, is the leading Serbian religion with nearly 6.7 million parishioners, representing 85% of the country's population. This is more than most ethnic groups in the country combined.

There are several Romanian Orthodox Churches in parts of Serbia founded by migrants. Most Serbs identify themselves by adherence to the Orthodox Church rather than by ethnicity.

5. Greece (10 million)

Number of Christians who profess Orthodox teaching, close to 10 million of the population of Greece. The Greek Orthodox Church includes several Orthodox denominations and cooperates with the Orthodox Church, holding liturgies in the original language of the New Testament - Koine Greek. The Greek Orthodox Church strictly follows the traditions of the Byzantine Church.

4. Romania (19 million)

Most of the 19 million parishioners of the Romanian Orthodox Church are part of the autocephalous Orthodox Church. The number of parishioners is approximately 87% of the population, which gives reason to sometimes call the Romanian language Orthodox (Orthodoxie).

The Romanian Orthodox Church was canonized in 1885, and since then has strictly observed the Orthodox hierarchy that has existed for centuries.

3. Ukraine (35 million)

There are approximately 35 million members of the Orthodox population in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church gained independence from the Russian Orthodox Church after the collapse of the USSR. The Ukrainian Church is in canonical communion with the Orthodox Church and has the largest number of parishioners in the country, accounting for 75% of the total population.

Several churches still belong to the Moscow Patriarchate, but Ukrainian Christians for the most part do not know which denomination they belong to. Orthodoxy in Ukraine has apostolic roots and has been declared the state religion several times in the past.

2. Ethiopia (36 million)

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the largest and oldest church in both population and structure. The 36 million parishioners of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church are in canonical communion with the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Church and were part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is independent and the largest of all the Ancient Eastern Orthodox Churches.

1. Russia (101 million)

Russia has the largest number of Orthodox Christians in the entire world with a total of approximately 101 million parishioners. The Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Orthodox Church in canonical communion and full unity with the Orthodox Church.

Russia is believed to be intolerant of Christians, and the number of Orthodox Christians is constantly disputed. A small number of Russians believe in God or even profess Orthodox faith. Many citizens call themselves Orthodox Christians because they were baptized in the church as children or are mentioned in official government reports, but do not practice the religion.

The video will tell in detail about the main religions practiced in the world, with many historical facts.