ACRIDA (Achris; Slavic Ohrid; Albanian Ohri, Italian Ocrida). — Episcopal city that succeeded ancient Lychnidos; it begins to be mentioned in the Bulgarian period, when, after a cathedral had been erected there by King Boris-Michael shortly after his conversion to Christianity (around 870), it became (886?) the center of activity of St. Clement, disciple of SS. Cyril and Methodius, who was also its bishop (893). From then on, contradictory reports describe it now as a simple bishopric, now as a patriarchate for Bulgaria. But from the time (997–98) when King Samuel transferred the capital there, it is certain that the patriarchal throne was also located there, on which most of the other 30 sees that Bulgaria numbered at its greatest extent must have depended.
The period of A.’s great splendor was not long, because in 1018 and 1019 the city, together with the entire territory that had formerly been Bulgarian, was reconquered for the Byzantine Empire. The title of patriarch disappeared (between 1019 and 1033), and it soon became customary (1037) to appoint a Greek as titular. Nevertheless, the overall organization of 32 bishoprics in the ancient provinces of Macedonia, Dardania, and Old and New Epirus was preserved, with A. at its head, granting it autocephaly, exemption from the patriarchate of Constantinople, and the archiepiscopal title (1018 and 1043). During this period, A. could boast two great incumbents: Theophylact, a writer of great fame also in the West (after 1078–1111), and Giovanni Comneno, scion of an imperial lineage (ca. 1140–57).
After the fall of the Greek Empire (1204), A., with an extensive territory, became part of the “despotate” of Epirus, appearing there as the principal see, even in relation to Durazzo and Naupactus. The archbishop Demetrius Chomatianos (ca. 1216–35), with his highly esteemed knowledge of canon law, brought it great splendor. At the same time, A. lost the Serbian territory, which passed to form an autonomous jurisdiction under a local archbishopric (1219). An era of spiritual decline followed, although hostility to union with Rome earned A. an extension of jurisdiction over Wallachia (1439–66) and Moldavia (1439–end of the 16th century), and, between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th, also over Durazzo. From 1548 to 1586, we see the patriarch of A. appointing and ordaining bishops for the Greeks and Albanians of Italy, probably with the consent of the Pope. This approach to unity, though it was neither very profound nor fruitful, was repeated several times until 1670. On the other hand, there was also, with no greater success, an attempt on the part of Rome to establish a Latin archbishopric of A., which had three incumbents in 28 years (1647–75). The history of this important see may be said to have ended catastrophically with the abolition of the archbishopric and patriarchate, and of the episcopate itself, decided upon by the patriarchate of Constantinople and accepted by the prelate and local clergy in 1767.