The Eparchy of Budimlja and NikšićorBudimlja–Nikšić (Serbian: Епархија будимљанско-никшићка / Eparhija budimljansko-nikšićka) is an eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church, covering eastern, central, and western parts of modern Montenegro. The ecclesiastical seat of the eparchy is the Monastery of Đurđevi StupoviinBerane. Since 2021 it has been headed by Metodije, bishop of Budimlja and Nikšić.[1]
In 1346, the Serbian Archbishopric was raised to the rank of patriarchate, and on the same occasion the Eparchy of Budimlja was raised to the titular (honorary) rank of metropolitanate.[2] In the middle of the 15th century, during the Turkish invasion and conquest, several dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church suffered great devastation, including the Eparchy of Budimlja. The Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1557 by patriarch Makarije Sokolović,[4] with the Eparchy of Budimlja remaining under its jurisdiction.[5]
During the Austro-Turkish war (1683–1699) relations between Ottoman authorities and their Serbian subjects deteriorated further. As a result of Ottoman oppression and destruction of churches and monasteries, Serbian Christians and their church leaders, headed by Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III, sided with the Austrians in 1689 and again in 1737 under Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV.[6] In the following punitive campaigns, the Ottoman armies conducted systematic atrocities against local Christian population in Serbian regions, including the region of Budimlja in the upper Lim valley, resulting in Great Migrations of the Serbs.[7]
By that time, the Eparchy of Budimlja was abolished, and its territory incorporated into neighboring eparchies. In 1938, the historical title of bishops of Budimlja was renewed for auxiliary bishops, and the diocese itself was renewed in 1947 as the Eparchy of Budimlja and Polimlje, and reorganized in 2001 as the Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić.[8]
