The Serbian Archbishopric was established in 1219 by
Saint Sava. On that occasion, the region of
Budimlja in the upper
Lim Valley was detached from the old Eparchy of Ras and on that territory the new Eparchy of Budimlja was created, centered around
Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery, previously founded by Stefan Prvoslav, cousin of Saint Sava. 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 honorary rank of
metropolitanate. In the middle of the 15th century, during the Ottoman 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, with the Eparchy of Budimlja remaining under its jurisdiction. During the
Great Turkish War 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. In the following punitive campaigns, the Ottoman armies conducted systematic atrocities against local Christian population in Serbian regions, including the region of Budimlja, resulting in
Great Migrations of the Serbs. 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 re-established in 2001 as the Eparchy of Budimlja and Nikšić. ==List of bishops==