Diocese of Skopje Dioecesis Scopiensis Скопска бискупија | |
|---|---|
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Skopje) | |
| Location | |
| Country | North Macedonia |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Vrhbosna |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 30,010 km2 (11,590 sq mi) |
Population
|
|
| Parishes | 2[1] |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Skopje) |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Bitola) |
| Secular priests | 3[1] |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Kiro Stojanov |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Tomo Vukšić |
TheDiocese of Skopje (Macedonian:Скопска бискупија,romanized: Skopska biskupija), is aLatin Churchdiocese of theCatholic church inNorth Macedonia. From the 4th century to 1656, when it was renamed toArchdiocese of Skopje, it was known as theArchdiocese of Dardania. In 1969 along with theRoman Catholic Diocese of Prizren, it formed theDiocese of Skopje-Prizren. In 2000 it became asuffragan diocese of theArchdiocese of Vrhbosna, and the bishop isKiro Stojanov, appointed in 2005.

There were Catholic bishops in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries[2] but Skopje remained Byzantine until 1282 when it was conquered by Serbia. After the arrival of theOttomans and the defeat of theSerbs in thebattle of Kosovo (1389), Skopje was conquered byOttomans in 1392. It would be three centuries before Catholic see would be revived again: it was atitular see from 1346 to 1656.[2] In 1689, after the defeat of the Turks in thebattle of Vienna, the city was raided and taken by theAustrians, and the archdiocese was finally restored and renamed the Archdiocese of Skopje (Scopia). This marked a brief interlude, as the Turks pressed them back and the see was suppressed once again under the Turks. The archbishops had to reside in the Albanian mountains.[2]
The modern history of the diocese begins 1816 with the appointment ofMatej Krasniqi (Matthaes Crasnich) as the first resident archbishop of Skopje in over 500 years of Ottoman rule. Since then, there has been an unbroken string of bishops, who resided inUskup from 1860.[2]
Ottoman rule ended in 1912, when Skopje came under the rule ofKingdom of Serbia. In order to regulate status of Catholic Church, government of Serbia concluded officialConcordat withHoly See on 24 June 1914. By the Second Article of Concordat, it was decided that "Diocese of Skopje" shall be created as a regular bishopric, and placed under jurisdiction ofRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade that was about to be created.[3] Because of the breakout ofFirst World War, those provisions could not be implemented, and only after 1918 new arrangements were made.
In 1924, after the devastation of the First World War, the archdiocese was downgraded to a diocese. In 1969, the diocese was merged with theRoman Catholic Diocese of Prizren, and became the Diocese of Skopje-Prizren. In 2000, they were split once again, as the portion that was formerly the diocese of Prizren became theApostolic Administration of Prizren, and the Diocese of Skopje returned to its former name.
Im Fall des Graner Domherm Hiacynth Macripodari etwa, den Ferdinand III. Im Juli 1645 zum Titularbischof von Skopje emannt hatte, kam es in Rom … Im Januar 1647 und im April 1649 emeuerte der Konig die Nomination auf Bitten und Drangen des griechischen Dominikaners, … Erst danach leitete Kardinal Girolamo Colonna den Informativprozeb fur Macripodari ein, der wenig spatter vom Heiligen Stuhl als Titularbichof von Skopje bestatigt und konsekriert wurde.
Dominican Giacinto Macripodari, future Bishop of Csanád, was one of the most interesting Dominican missionaries in Moldavia…He arrived in Vienna in the same year and King Ferdinand III nominated him, at the intercession of the envoy of Istanbul, the bishop of the Macedonian Skopje. …Many backed the plan of Macripodari to become Bishop of Bákó, including the vojvode himself. There were many Greeks among the boyars and the merchants of the court who, although they were Orthodox, got on well with a fellow Greek, the Chian Macripodari.
GIACINTO MACRIPODARI - Vescovo di Skoplje, nominato dal re d'Ungheria, 1645, luglio 29; confermato dalla SS. 1649, ott. 11- Vescovo di Csanàd, nominato dal re 1658, febbr. 27; confermato dalla SS. dopo il 2 maggio 1668. — Archivum FF.
Nell' Albania fu vescovo Giacinto Macripodari a SCOPIA (Uskub) 1649–1669.