The region was under the Metropolitanate of Dyrrachium, which in turn was under the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople or the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Bar. In 1089, the see of Travunia was briefly under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Bar. The territory was constantly in a feudal state of continuous religious wars between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox denominations long before the incursion of Ottoman invaders. The Eparchy of Hum was founded in 1219 by
Saint Sava, the same year the Serbian Archbishopric acquired its
autocephaly status from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thus, it was one of the original Serbian Orthodox bishoprics with jurisdiction over the historical regions of
Zachlumia and
Travunia. The first Bishop of Hum was Ilarion, succeeded by
Sava II (son of Serbian King
Stefan the First-Crowned). The original seat of the eparchy was in
Ston, at the
Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Following an earthquake in 1250s, the bishop moved the seat to the Monastery of Holy Apostles in the
Lim Valley. From that time, the Eparchy of Hum was sometimes also called Eparchy of Lim. During the
War of Hum, most of Zachlumia was taken over by
Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, but the Travunia region remained under the rule of Serbian kings. After the establishment of the
Serbian Patriarchate of Peć in 1346, all original Serbian bishoprics were raised to the honorary rank of
metropolitanates. The see of the eparchy was then moved to the
Mileševa Monastery. In the middle of 15th century, Metropolitan David was a very influential figure on the court of
Stefan Kosača, who was titled Duke (Herzeg) of
Saint Sava. Following the fall of the
Duchy of Saint Sava to the
Ottoman Empire in 1482, the see was frequently moved, only to settle at the
Tvrdoš Monastery in 1508. Eventually, the
Eparchy of Mileševa was formed from the parts of the Eparchy of Hum. In 1557, the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć was restored and the Eparchy of Herzegovina was returned to its jurisdiction, with its bishops holding the honorary title of metropolitan. In 1766, when the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć was abolished, the Eparchy of Herzegovina and all other Serbian eparchies in the
Ottoman Empire came under the jurisdiction of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Bishops of Herzegovina kept their honorary title of Metropolitan. The seat of metropolitanate was transferred to Mostar. In 1878, the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina was under the occupation of
Austria-Hungary, but under the Church Convention of 1880, all Eastern Orthodox eparchies remained under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. An arrangement was made whereby the patriarch held jurisdiction over the Eastern Orthodox churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Asutria-Hungary was allowed to nominate its bishops, with the patriarch in Constantinople paying an annual fee. After
World War I and the creation of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a council of Eastern Orthodox bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina unanimously decided to unite with other Serbian ecclesiastical provinces to form the unified
Serbian Orthodox Church, a process completed in 1920. At that time the eparchy was renamed to Eparchy of Zachlumia, Herzegovina, and the Littoral. The episcopal see was at the
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Mostar. The diocese encompassed the districts Mostar,
Bileća,
Gacko,
Nevesinje,
Stolac, and Trebinje, the towns of
Dubrovnik and
Metković, as well as the island of
Korčula. During the
World War II a large number of churches were damaged or destroyed, along with parish homes, libraries, and church archives. During the
Yugoslav Wars, the Eparchy of Zachlumia, Herzegovina, and the Littoral of all dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church sustained the most damage. Twenty-four churches were destroyed and sixteen heavily damaged, in addition to the destruction of
Zavala Monastery. Ten cemeteries were either destroyed or desecrated. In Mostar everything belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church was destroyed. Between 7 and 8 June 1992, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was shelled and on 15 June the belltowers were destroyed and the cathedral was set ablaze. Subsequently, the remaining walls were mined, and the church was turned into rubble. As of 2026, reconstruction of the church is ongoing. The old church, built in the 16th century and dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos, was also destroyed. The Bishop's Palace, built in the 19th century, was mined, while the
Žitomislić Monastery also met the same fate. == List of bishops ==