О ПОСТОЈАЊУ БОСАНСКЕ ЕПИСКОПИЈЕ СРПСКЕ АРХИЕПИСКОПИЈЕ
ON THE EXISTENCE OF THE DIOCESE OF BOSNIA OF THE SERBIAN ARCHBISHOPRIC

Summary/Abstract: A special issue of Serbian historiography is the existence of the Bosnian Bishopric, of the Serbian Archbishopric during the reign of Stefan Dragutin (1284–1316) in northeastern Bosnia. Venetian sources for the year 1293 testify that the Bosnian Bishop Vasilije (Basilio) came to Venice as an emissary of King Dragutin. For more than a century this source has been published, translated and analyzed in historiography. Most Serbian historians considered the aforementioned Bishop to be a Serbian Orthodox bishop, but there was no consensus when it came to the identification of his Bishopric. Some of the historians believed that the mention of the Bosnian Bishop does not refer to the Bosnian Bishopric, but to one of the neighboring Serbian dioceses, such as the Eparchy of Mačva, Eparchy of Dabar or Eparchy of Moravica. Using the historical-critical and comparative-analytical method, this paper deals with the hypothetical church jurisdiction over the areas of northeastern Bosnia (Usora and Soli) at the time of Stefan Dragutin. In its appendices, this paper uses cartographic argumentation and revaluation of the mention of Bishop Vasilijе, with the aim of answering the question about the potential existence of the Bosnian Bishopric of Serbian Archbishopric. Based on a comparison of sources, it is possible to accept the authenticity of the mention of Bosnian Bishop Vasilije, and based on his title, it is possible to assume the existence of the bishop’s chair within the jurisdiction of the Serbian Church. Since the mention from 1293 is the only evidence of the existence of the Diocese, its short-lived nature can be explained by the complex historical circumstances that occurred after the death of King Dragutin (1316). The areas of Usora and Soli were taken over by the Hungarian and Bosnian rulers who made it impossible for the Diocese of Bosnia to function, but its lifespan could at least last from 1293 to 1316.

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