Macedonia

By virtue of its geographical position, located in the Balkan peninsula of southeastern Europe adjacent to the countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia, the region of Macedonia has been continually exposed to the influence of several world religions and has thus been the locus for their strong competition. The earliest arrival of Christianity in Macedonia occurred around the middle of the first century. (St. Paul's letter to the Thessalonians was written in approximately 52 CE, after Timothy had returned from the region, which then incorporated the territories of Epirus, Vetus, Thessaly, and parts of Illyria and Thrace.) The arrival of Islam in Macedonia happened as early as the 11th century CE.

Following World War II, the territory of what is today the Republic of Macedonia ...