Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima was an Eastern Christian autonomous Archbishopric with see in the city of

Justiniana Prima Justiniana Prima (Latin: , sr, Јустинијана Прима, Justinijana Prima) was an Eastern Roman city that existed from 535 to 615, and currently an archaeological site, known as or ''Caričin Grad'' ( sr, Царичин Град), nea ...

and jurisdiction over the Late Roman

Diocese of Dacia The Diocese of Dacia ( la, Dioecesis Daciae) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, in the area of modern western Bulgaria, central Serbia, Montenegro, northern Albania and northern North Macedonia. It was subordinate to the Praetorian prefectu ...

in central parts of the Southeastern Europe.

History

The archdiocese was established in 535 AD by Emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...

, in his presumed home-town of

(near present-day

Taor Taor (Macedonian: ''Таор'') is a village in North Macedonia. Administratively, Taor is in Zelenikovo Municipality and it is located some 20 km south-east of Skopje. Taor is on the left bank of the Vardar River. Etymology The etymology of ...

, in North Macedonia). The establishment is mentioned in Justinian's own Novel XI from 535, when he promotes the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

to an archbishop, independent from the

Archbishop of Thessalonica The Metropolis of Thessaloniki ( el, Ιερά Μητρόπολις Θεσσαλονίκης) is a Greek Orthodox metropolitan see based in the city of Thessaloniki in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is part of the so-called "New Lands", belongin ...

.OCC, page 100, excerpts from his ''novella'' The establishment is seen as part of the feud between Justinian and the archbishop of

Eastern Illyricum The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum ( la, praefectura praetorio per Illyricum; el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία �ῶν πραιτωρίωντοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ, also termed simply the Prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four ...

, who was a papal vicar. Its last mention is in 602, amid the Slav raids on the Balkans.

Administration

Its cathedral archiepiscopal see was at Justiniana Prima. According to Novella 11, issued in 535, the first Archbishop received canonical jurisdiction over the following Byzantine provinces, mainly on the territory of the

:DMMS, page 216 *

Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Mediterranea (Mid-land Dacia; ) was a late antique Roman province, whose capital city was Serdica (or Sardica; later Sradetz or Sredets, now Sofia). The date for the establishment of Dacia Mediterranea is uncertain. It was traditionally he ...

Dacia Ripensis Dacia Ripensis () was the name of a Roman province in the northern Balkan peninsula, immediately south of the Middle Danube. Its capital was Ratiaria (modern Archar, Bulgaria). It was a district less urban than neighbouring Dacia Mediterranea a ...

Moesia Prima Moesia Prima (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία) was a frontier province of the late Roman Empire, situated in the central parts of present-day Serbia, along the south bank of the Danube River. Provincial capital was Viminacium, near modern ...

* Dardania *

Praevalitana Praevalitana (also ''Prevalitana'', ''Prevaliana'', ''Praevaliana'' or ''Prevalis'') was a Late Roman province that existed between c. 284 and c. 600. It included parts of present-day Montenegro, northern Albania, and part of present-day Kosovo ...

Macedonia Secunda Macedonia ( grc-gre, Μακεδονία) was a province of the Roman Empire, encompassing the territory of the former Antigonid Kingdom of Macedonia, which had been conquered by Rome in 168 BC at the conclusion of the Third Macedonian War. The p ...

* Part of

Pannonia Secunda Pannonia Secunda was one of the provinces of the Roman Empire. It was formed in the year 296, during the reign of emperor Diocletian. The capital of the province was Sirmium (today Sremska Mitrovica). Pannonia Secunda included parts of present-da ...

But by 545, in the Novella 131, Macedonia Secunda was omitted.

Dioceses

* Bishopric of Niš, seat at Naissopolis (Niš, Serbia)

Archbishops

* Catelianus (Catellian), metropolitan becoming first archbishop in 535 AD *Benenatus c.553 *

Johannes Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' ...

, fl. 595

Successor titles

Eastern Orthodox

The

Archbishopric of Ohrid The Archbishopric of Ohrid, also known as the Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid *T. Kamusella in The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe, Springer, 2008, p. 276 *Aisling Lyon, Decentralisation and the Management of Ethni ...

was seen as a successor of the old archbishopric. Archbishop John IV, nephew of emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...

, resurrected the title of ''Archbishop of Justiniana Prima'' in 1143 for his own use.OCC, page 101: " John Comnenus.. resurrected himself the title of Archbishopric of J-P "

Roman Catholic titular see

It is one of the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

s listed in the ''

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' ( Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides name ...

''.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 904 It has had the following incumbents, all of the archiepiscopal (intermediary) rank: *

Giovanni Panico Giovanni Panico (12 April 1895 – 7 July 1962) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as nuncio to several countries during his career, and was created a cardinal in 1962. Life Early life Panico was born in Tricase, in t ...

(1935.10.17 – 1962.03.19) (later Cardinal) *

Aurelio Sabattani Aurelio Sabattani JUD (18 October 1912 – 19 April 2003) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1967 until his death and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1983. Educa ...

(1965.06.24 – 1983.02.02) (later Cardinal) *

Édouard Gagnon Édouard Gagnon, PSS, OC (15 January 1918 – 25 August 2007) was a Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal and President of the Pontifical Council for the Family for 16 years, from 1974 to 1990. He became a cardinal on 25 May 1985. Biography Édoua ...

Sulpicians The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, ...

(P.S.S.) (1983.07.07 – 1985.05.25), (later Cardinal * Jean-Claude Périsset (1998.11.12 – ...),

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

(papal ambassador) emeritus to Germany

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *
Arthur Ewans, Ancient Illyria: An Archaeological Exploration

The challenge of our past: studies in Orthodox Canon law and Church history

Carolyn S. Snively, "Dacia Mediterranea and Macedonia Secunda in the 6th century"
{{refend

External links

Byzantine Serbia 6th century in Serbia Justinian I Dioceses established in the 6th century Justiniana Prima, Archdiocese Leskovac History of Christianity in Serbia