page_title: Religion in Malta
section_title: Orthodox Churches
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Malta / Other Christian denominations in Malta / Orthodox Churches
caption_attribution_description: English: Church of Our Lady of Damascus, Valletta
context_page_description: The predominant religion in Malta is that of the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion, and it is also reflected in various elements of Maltese culture; however, in recent years the church has experienced rapid decline in influence and importance. According to a 2018 survey, the overwhelming majority of the Maltese population adheres to Christianity with Catholicism as the main denomination. According to the same report, 4.5% of the population declared themselves as either atheist or agnostic, one of the lowest figures in Europe.
  Malta's patron saints are St Paul, St Publius and St Agatha. The Assumption of Mary known as Santa Marija is the Special patron of the Maltese Islands.
context_section_description: The Orthodox presence in Malta is also numerous, with a substantial increase in the past years. In 2014 there were at least 5000 orthodox believers or 1.2% of the total population. The Russian Orthodox Church in Malta has its own parish of St Paul however they do not have a permanent church and hence use the Greek Catholic church of Our Lady of Damascus in Valletta for services. The Bulgarian Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox congregations also use the same church for services. There is a Greek Orthodox congregation which has its own church of St George, part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta. The Romanian Orthodox Church congregation worships in St Roque's Church and is part of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy. There is also a strong Serbian Orthodox congregation in Malta, which uses St Nicholas' for worship. The Serbian parish is part of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland. The Coptic Orthodox Church congregation forms part of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and worships in St James' Chapel in Żebbuġ. There are also congregations belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church respectively, both of which use the Church of St James, Valletta.
caption: Church of Our Lady of Damascus, Valletta
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