▁Nik oli ć , ▁Mark ović , ▁ Đ or đ e vić , ▁Sto jan ović , ▁I li ć , ▁St ank ović , ▁Pav lo vić ▁and ▁Mil o še vić . ▁ ▁Religion ▁ ▁Ser bs ▁are ▁pre domin antly ▁Orth odox ▁Christians . ▁The ▁auto ce ph aly ▁of ▁the ▁Ser bian ▁Orth odox ▁Church , ▁was ▁established ▁in ▁ 1 2 1 9 , ▁as ▁an ▁Arch bishop ric , ▁and ▁raised ▁to ▁the ▁Patri arch ate ▁in ▁ 1 3 4 6 . ▁It ▁is ▁led ▁by ▁the ▁Ser bian ▁Patri arch , ▁and ▁consists ▁of ▁three ▁arch bishop rics , ▁six ▁metropol itan ates ▁and ▁thirty - one ▁e par ch ies , ▁having ▁around ▁ 1 0 ▁million ▁ad her ents . ▁Follow ers ▁of ▁the ▁church ▁form ▁the ▁largest ▁religious ▁group ▁in ▁Ser bia ▁and ▁Mont en eg ro , ▁and ▁the ▁second - larg est ▁in ▁Bos nia ▁and ▁Herz egov ina ▁and ▁Cro atia . ▁The ▁church ▁has ▁an ▁arch bishop ric ▁in ▁North ▁Mac ed onia ▁and ▁dioc eses ▁in ▁Western ▁Europe , ▁North ▁America , ▁South ▁America ▁and ▁Australia . ▁ ▁The ▁identity ▁of ▁eth nic ▁Ser bs ▁was ▁histor ically ▁largely ▁based ▁on ▁Orth odox ▁Christian ity ▁and ▁on ▁the ▁Ser bian ▁Church ▁in ▁particular . ▁The ▁conversion ▁of ▁the ▁South ▁S lav s ▁from ▁pag an ism ▁to ▁Christian ity ▁took ▁place ▁before ▁the ▁Great ▁Sch ism . ▁After ▁the ▁Sch ism , ▁those ▁who ▁lived ▁under