Eparchy of Banja Luka

The Eparchy of Banja Luka (Serbian: Епархија бањалучка, romanized: Eparhija banjalučka) is an eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church with its seat in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has jurisdiction over the north-western regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Eparchy of Banja Luka
Episcopal Residence in Banja Luka
Location
Territory	North-western parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Headquarters	Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Information
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox
Sui iuris church	Serbian Orthodox Church
Established	1900
Language	Church Slavonic Serbian
Current leadership
Bishop	Jefrem Milutinović
Map

History

Until 1900, territory of this eparchy belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate of Dabar and Bosnia, which in turn was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Upon the request of the Eastern Orthodox Serbs of this region, new Eparchy of Banja Luka was created in that year,^[1] with seat in the city of Banja Luka. Bishop of Banja Luka was granted the honorary title of Metropolitan, as was the custom in Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.^[2]

In 1918, all Orthodox bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina reached a unanimous decision to join with other Serbian ecclesiastical provinces into united Serbian Orthodox Church. Arrangements with the Ecumenical Patriarchate were made, and the canonical process of unification was completed in 1920.^[3] Since then, Eparchy of Banja Luka has been part of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Heads

Picture	Name	Tenure
	Evgenije Letica	1901–1907
	Vasilije Popović	1908–1938
	Platon Jovanović	1940–1941
	Vasilije Kostić	1947–1961
	Andrej Frušić	1961–1980
	Jefrem Milutinović	1980–present

Monasteries

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Banja Luka

Name	Foundation	Image	Notes
Gomionica Monastery Гомионица	before 1536[4]		Located in Kmećani, near Banja Luka. Official site
Krupa na Vrbasu Monastery Манастир Крупа на Врбасу	1987		Located in Krupa na Vrbasu.
Liplje Monastery Липље	Before 1499		Located near Teslić. According to folklore founded by Saint Sava in 1219.
Moštanica Monastery Моштаница	Before 1556		Located near Kozarska Dubica. According to folklore founded by the Nemanjić dynasty.
Osovica Monastery Осовица	13th or 14th century		Located near Srbac. Reconstructed in 2003.
Stuplje Monastery Ступље	15th century		Destroyed in 1690. Rebuilt and consecrated at the end of 2008.

See also

• List of the Eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church