Montenegro Church Records

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For information about records for non-Christian religions in Montenegro, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites[edit | edit source]

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

While Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religious denomination in Montenegro, there are also sizable numbers of adherents of both Catholic Christianity and Islam. The dominant Church is the Serbian Orthodox Church although traces of a forming Montenegrin Orthodox Church are present. The majority of Montenegro's population, 98.69%, declares to belong to a religion, though observance of their declared religion may vary widely. Montenegro's laws guarantee the freedom of religion and outlaw several forms of religious discrimination, as well as establishing that there is no state religion in Montenegro. The government provides some funding to religious groups.

Ethnic groups
by confession 		Total Montenegrins Serbs Bosniaks Albanians Roma Croats
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Eastern Orthodox 446,858 72.1 248,523 88.7 177,091 98.3 11 0.0 37 0.1 516 8.2 90 1.5
Islam 118,477 19.1 12,931 4.6 79 0.0 74,343 99.7 22,267 73.1 5,034 80.5 3 0.0
Catholic 21,299 3.4 5,667 2.0 116 0.6 3 0.0 7,954 26.1 13 0.2 5,527 91.8
Protestantism 1,601 0.4 921 0.3 262 0.1 36 0.1 2 0.0 2 0.0
Atheism[Agnosticism 9,005 3.3 6,393 2.3 697 0.4 108 0.1 35 0.1 1 0.0 224 3.7

[1]

Information Recorded in the Records[edit | edit source]

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms[edit | edit source]

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

  • baptism date
  • the infant's name
  • parents' names
  • father's occupation
  • status of legitimacy
  • occasionally, names of grandparents
  • names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives
  • birth date and place
  • the family's place of residence
  • death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages[edit | edit source]

Marriage registers can give:

  • the marriage date
  • the names of the bride and groom
  • indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed
  • their ages
  • birth dates and places for the bride and groom
  • their residences
  • their occupations
  • birthplaces of the bride and groom
  • parents' names (after 1800)
  • the names of previous spouses and their death dates
  • names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials[edit | edit source]

Burial registers may give:

  • the name of the deceased
  • the date and place of death or burial
  • the deceased's age
  • place of residence
  • cause of death
  • the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower
  • deceased's birth date and place
  • parents' names, or at least the father's name



How to Find Records[edit | edit source]

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Montenegro.
b. Click on Places within Montenegro and a list of towns will appear.
c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records[edit | edit source]

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then, use a Montenegrin translation service.

Catholic Records[edit | edit source]

Writing to a Local Parish[edit | edit source]

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

The Catholic Church in Montenegro is a part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are 21,299 Catholics in Montenegro, and they form three and a half percent of the population. Most Catholics are ethnic Albanians and Croats as well as some Montenegrins.[2]

For more information, see Catholic Church in Montenegro.

Orthodox Records[edit | edit source]

Writing for Records[edit | edit source]

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro refers to adherents, religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Montenegro. It is the largest Christian denomination in the country. According to the latest census of 2011, 446,858 citizens of Montenegro (72.07%) registered as Eastern Orthodox Christians. The majority of Eastern Orthodox people in Montenegro are adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church. A minor percentage supports the noncanonical and unrecognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church.[3]

Four eparchies (dioceses) of the Serbian Orthodox Church cover the territory of Montenegro, two of them being entirely within its borders, and two partially:

  • Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, with seat in Cetinje,
  • Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić, with seat in Nikšić,
  • Eparchy of Mileševa, partially covers northwestern region of Montenegro and southwestern region of Serbia,
  • Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, also covers a small region of Sutorina in southwestern corner of Montenegro.[4]

For more information, see Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Religion in Montenegro", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Montenegro, accessed 21 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia Collaborators, "Catholic Church in Montenegro," In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Montenegro. Visited October 22, 2019.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia Collaborators, "Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro," In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy_in_Montenegro. Visited October 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia Collaborators, "Eastern Orthodoxy in Montenegro," In Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy_in_Montenegro. Visited October 22, 2019.
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