Bosnian Church | |
---|---|
Crkva bosanska | |
![]() Ban Kulin's tablet | |
Type | Independent church |
Classification | Chalcedonian Christianity |
Governance | Episcopal |
Djed | Ratko II |
Headquarters | Mile |
Territory | Kingdom of BosniaKingdom of CroatiaKingdom of Serbia |
Independence | 11th century |
Separated from | Roman Catholic Diocese of Bosnia[1] |
The Bosnian Church (Serbo-Croatian: Crkva bosanska/Црква босанска) was a schismatic Christian church in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina that was independent from and considered heretical by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Historians traditionally connected the church with the Bogomils, although this has been challenged and is now rejected by the majority of scholars.[2] Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani ("Christians") or Dobri Bošnjani ("Good Bosnians"). The church's organization and beliefs are poorly understood, because few if any records were left by church members and the church is mostly known from the writings of outside sources — primarily Catholic ones.[3]
The monumental tombstones called stećak that appeared in medieval Bosnia, as well as Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro, are sometimes identified with the Bosnian Church.