Orthodox Christianity Influence

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To start with, Orthodox Christianity serves as one of the major religions in the Balkans.
Most of the South Slavic region sits East of the dividing line placed by the Great Schism. Influences of the Byzantine Empire including the practice of Eastern Orthodox Christianity affect Balkan culture today. The Serbian Orthodox Church serves as a prime example portraying the presence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the Balkans. Orthodox Serbs often identify one another by their religion, “The Serbs are Orthodox Christians whose religion was crucial in keeping alive their national identity during almost four centuries of Ottoman Turkish occupation” (Zagreb). While the Serbs struggled to retain their Orthodoxy during Ottoman occupation, this religious identity