Religion

The majority of the citizens of Ohrid are members of the Christian (Orthodox) religious parish and part of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The wider region of Ohrid, Struga, Kicevo, Debar, and Makedonski Brod are within the Debar-Kicevo Eparchy. Its contemporary name is from XVII century, whereas the original name, Dremvica-Velicka Eparchy, was related to the founder of the Slavonic Church, St. Clement of Ohrid (late IX and the beginning of X century). Throughout the history the name changed many times, but the one that prevailed was Velicka Eparchy. It was also reestablished by that name 16th and 17th July 1967 when the Macedonian Orthodox Church was promulgated autocephalous.

On the Church and Peoples' Council held 7th October 1968 the Eparchy was renamed into Debar-Kicevo Eparchy. Its first elected Archpriest was Metropolitan Metodij (1967-1976). The second Archpriest was Metropolitan Angelarij (1977-1981), who from this Eparchy was elected as Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. The present (third) Metropolitan is Timotej, elected in 1981

The Debar-Kicevo Eparchy covers five church units: in the regions of Ohrid, Struga, Kicevo, Debar, and Makedonski Brod. They consist of 35 parishes with 30 practicing priests.

The Ohrid Archpriest unit consists of 16 parishes with 14 priests. The town itself covers eight parishes. Although there are numerous churches in the town, four of them are parish churches: "St. Bogorodica Perivlepta (St. Clement) - cathedral church), "St. Nicholas - Gerakomija", "St. Bogorodica -Kamensko", "St. Gorgi" and "Sveta Troica (Holy Trinity)".

There are many monasteries in the Debar-Kicevo Eparchy, and monks live in four of them. Two are monasteries for men (St. Naum and St Jovan Bigorski), while in the monasteries St. Bogorodica Precista, near Kicevo, and St. Petka, near Ohrid, are monasteries for women.

In addition to the great Christian Orthodox Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Epiphany), in Ohrid the most solemn are the festivities dedicated to the days of the patrons of the churches and monasteries, called Church and Peoples fairs. The atmosphere during the festivities dedicated to St. Clement of Ohrid (8-9 August), St. Naum of Ohrid (2-3 July), St. Stefan (14-15 August), St. Petka (7-8 August), St. Erazmo (14-15 June), is magnificent, as well as during the Holidays dedicated the Holy Mother (in particular 20 and 21 September) in the monastery St. Bogorodica Precista near Kicevo, and on 10th and 11th September on the date of the death of St. John the Baptist in the monastery of St. Jovan Bigorski near Debar.