A small but useful article for tourists. Find out which religion in Montenegro is the main one. How it coexists with other religious denominations in the country. The Montenegrins’ example will be useful for many countries. I’ll tell you how all this affects the rest and tourists, what to be prepared for.
Table of contents:
- Religion in Montenegro: general points
- Briefly about Christianity and Orthodoxy in Montenegro
- About Islam and Judaism
- Travel Tips
It will be difficult for you to plan your dream trip to Montenegro without these websites
Religion in Montenegro: general points
Montenegro is a very small country, its size is 250km by 200km. The population is just over half a million. The history of Montenegro has about 30 centuries. During this time there were hundreds of wars, the same number of rulers. The country was conquered at different times and was part of the Roman Empire, Byzantine, Ottoman.
In different periods of history in Montenegro, a different religion prevailed. Sometimes religion was imposed by force. Perhaps that is why Montenegrins are so tolerant today to different faiths. All religions peacefully exist in the country without conflicts, oppression and discrimination on religious grounds.
To better understand how the history of religion in Montenegro, I advise a very interesting article: the history of the country from the Romans to Yugoslavia.
Good to know:
The main religion in Montenegro is Orthodoxy. 72% of the inhabitants of Montenegro consider themselves Orthodox.
Here’s how the country’s population was distributed by religion after the census:
- Orthodoxy – 72%
- Islam – 18%
- Judaism – 7%
- Catholicism – less than 3%
Briefly about Orthodoxy in Montenegro
It is already clear from the statistics that the Orthodox religion is the main religion in Montenegro. There are many churches and monasteries here. Some of them are not only religious world shrines, but also important architectural monuments.
For example, Ostrog Monastery is completely built in the rock at an altitude of almost 1000m above sea level. And besides Ostrog, there is also:
- Morača monastery
- Cetinje Monastery. Overview of the first capital of Montenegro – Cetinje and the monastery.
- Piva Monastery
- and this is not a complete list of the shrines of this land
Religious tourism is quite popular in Montenegro. There are pilgrimage tours and routes to the most holy places. Read more about Montenegrin monasteries in the article at the link.
Good to know:
Orthodoxy prevails throughout the country, but there are two regions where almost 50% of the population is Muslim.
All about Islam and Judaism
I’ll tell you first briefly about Judaism and the Jews. I cannot say that they live in any particular region of the country. The Jews settled evenly throughout Montenegro. And since only 7% of the inhabitants profess Judaism, there are no specific Jewish areas or settlements here.
Tourists probably won’t even notice. There are almost no synagogues in Montenegro, I know only one in Podgorica. And about the mosques will be a little lower information.
And now a little more about religion in Montenegro like Islam. As can be seen from the statistics at the beginning of the article, 18% of the population is Muslim. On the one hand, it’s a little. But if we take into account that almost all Muslims of Montenegro live in two or three districts of the country, then it turns out that the population of these districts is almost 50% Muslim. And the remaining 50% in these areas are Orthodox.
Muslim regions of the country:
- The town of Plav, Gusinje and the Prokletije Мountains – on the border with Albania
- The southernmost city in Montenegro is Ulcinj, which is also on the border with Albania
- And Muslims live in Montenegro along the Bosnian border
Good to know:
The main religion in both Bosnia and Albania is Islam. It so happened historically that in those areas of Montenegro where Bosnians and Albanians live, almost the entire population is Muslim. By the way, Montenegrins make up only 15% of all Muslims in Montenegro, the rest of the nationalities are Albanians and Bosnians.
There are almost no or very few mosques in the central part of the country. But in the small Plav there are 7 of them. There are more than 10 in Ulcinj. And several times a day, from all the minarets of all the mosques, the singing of the muezzin (call to prayer) is heard.
- Ulcinj, by the way, is one of my favorite holiday resorts in Montenegro. A detailed review is at the link.
Religion in Montenegro: travel tips
All religions in the country have been coexisting together for many centuries. There is no enmity or religious prejudice here. Muslims in Montenegro are quite moderate in their views. For example, they sometimes allow themselves to drink alcohol, but I don’t know how to live without it in Montenegro. And in general, in appearance you will not immediately tell who is in front of you, a Muslim or a Christian.
Nothing threatens you as a tourist here and everything is absolutely safe, no matter what faith you profess. Nobody looks the wrong way at swimsuit girls on the beaches and so on. At the same time, nudist beaches are quite popular in Montenegro, they are also in the Islamic part of the country. There is even a women’s beach where men are not allowed to enter. It’s all about tolerance and the absence of radicalism in religion in Montenegro.
Here are a few rules that you just need to follow in any country in the world, and not just in Montenegro. And nothing threatens your rest, on religious grounds for sure:
- Respect any faith and traditions of the country where you are going
- Never discuss religion with people you don’t know well. By the way, this also applies to topics about politics.
In conclusion: the main religion in Montenegro is Orthodoxy, and the second largest religion is Islam. But in the country there are no prejudices and hints of conflicts and oppression on a religious basis. History has taught Montenegrins a lot, and tolerance for the people around them is a strong feature of the locals.
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro
- Flights at the best prices with discounts
- Car rental in Montenegro (cheaper – only by bus):
- Discovery Cars – a large international resource
- LocalRent – work with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
- Hotels and apartments all over the country: Booking
- Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- eSIM virtual card in Montenegro
- Taxi and transfers from Montenegro airports: Intui.Travel