Eparchy of Lipljan

Eparchy of Lipljan, later known as Eparchy of Gračanica or Eparchy of Novo Brdo (Serbian: Епархија липљанска, Eparhija lipljanska) is one of the former historical eparchies in the central parts of Kosovo region. Today it is part of Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Raška and Prizren.

Eparchy of Lipljan was one of the oldest eparchies in the region. Modern name of the city of Lipljan was derived from the name of its predecessor, the ancient Roman city of Ulpiana. The city was founded in 1st century BC and soon it became one of the most important cities in the Roman province of Moesia and its successor province of Dardania. The ancient Bishopric of Ulpiana was situated near the modern town of Lipljan where the remains of episcopal Basilica dating from the first half of 6th century have been found and excavated. The exact date of the foundation of Bishopric of Ulpiana is not known, but some of the bishoprics in the nearby regions were erected as early as 4th century.

After the Eastern–Western Roman split, the city of Ulpiana with rest of Dardania remained part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Up to the beginning of 6th century, episcopal see of Ulpiana was already under supreme jurisdiction of Archbishopric of Thessaloniki, and in 535 it was transferred by the decree of emperor Justinian I (527-565) to newly created Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima. In honor of the Emperor, Ulpiana was named "Iustiniana Secunda". Byzantine rule in that region finally collapsed at the beginning of 7th century and the church life was later renewed after the Christianization of Serbs.

After the successful Byzantine conquests of 1018 and the establishment of imperial rule in Bulgarian and Serbian lands, by the order of emperor Basil II a new and autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid was created in 1019, under the supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Imperial charters of 1019 and 1020 mention the Bishopric of Lipljan among eparchies under the jurisdiction of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid. Until the beginning of 13th century, archbishops of Ochrid were titled as metropolitans of all Bulgaria and Serbia.

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