Skopje, Diocese of

SKOPJE, DIOCESE OF. - Immediately subject to the Holy See, and situated in southern Yugoslavia between Albania, Greece and Bulgaria.

A very ancient diocese, already represented at the Council of Sardica (343) and in the 5th century a metropolitan see of Dardania. Justinian rebuilt the city destroyed by the earthquake of 518 under the name of Justiniana Prima, which Pope Vigilius elevated to an independent archdiocese. After the incursions of the Slavs, in 1020 S. was incorporated into the confederation of Achrida, thus becoming schismatic. Under Kalojan, king of Bulgaria, it was for a short time united to Rome (1024). In 1246 it was annexed to the schismatic Serbian church and from 1364 it was subject to the patriarchate of Ipek. At present it is also a Serbian Orthodox metropolitan see.

During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries the Latin bishops of S., recorded in the official documents, are all titular, that is in partibus infidelium, and none of them took possession. From 1656 the Latin bishops began to reside there. The Latin diocese of S. was an archdiocese from 1701 to 1921. After a brief vacancy in 1924 following the Concordat between the Holy See and Serbia of 1914, the residence was established at Prizren. On 16 March 1926 the city and region of Bitolj (Monastir), which previously belonged to the apostolic vicariate of Constantinople, were annexed to it in apostolic administration.

The religious persecution, which still continues in Yugoslavia, makes it impossible to obtain statistics or recent information. In 1940 the 31,463 Catholics were assisted by 24 priests. The bishop, who also administered the vacant diocese of Banjaluka, never succeeded in visiting it.

Nicola Kowalsky