Justiniana Prima

Iustiniana Prima or Justiniana Prima (Serbian Царичин Град / Caricin degree, German translation: City of the Empress, the problem of localization see below) was a Byzantine city in present-day Serbia. Iustiniana Prima is known as " ideals Byzantine city " of the 6th century, a sacred theology of Christianity, committed foundation that transposes the pagan Greek Acropolis in a Christian religious system. As the administrative center of the Illyricum prefecture planned, this plan was foiled by the conquest of Sirmium by the Gepids, the advance of Kutrigurs of 540 to the suburbs of Constantinople Opel and subsequent Slavic invasions. After 545 Iustiniana Prima came to an administrative authority as new Metropolis only in the ecclesiastical administration of the Dacian diocese. Iustiniana Primate fate is connected in its a hundred years of history with the Slavic invasions and Byzantium ' loss of control over almost the whole of Illyricum.

Iustiniana Prima is now the name of a Roman Catholic Titularerzbistums.

Location

Iustiniana Prima was built in the northwestern part of the province Dacia close to Dardania. The city was founded off the main roads and was located above the river valleys of the Puszta Reka and Jablanica in a major mining region. It represents the last major foundation of the ancient world to the urbanization of the provinces in Illyria

The city stretched out over 20 acres. Of this total, the city core 8 acres on the upper part of the ridge. This center was made up of the Acropolis, the upper and lower town. To the complex of the Acropolis took a stone and brick curtain wall system. To the Acropolis extended to the slopes a spacious suburb, which was protected by a palisade and a ditch. The suburbs stretched out to the craft center at the waterfront and a reservoir.

Conception

The concept of Iustiniana Prima was a combination of the Hellenistic tradition, the Roman heritage and the early Byzantine city building concept. Within the city walls, public institutions or important government institutions of the church and the army were. Therefore, the design of the Acropolis, the. , With the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the adjacent administrative buildings as ecclesiastical complex of importance for the interpretation of the early Byzantine urban philosophy The importance of the sacred in the upper and lower town and in the area outside the city center is evident by the numerous basilicas.

History

After its founding by the late Roman Emperor Justinian I it consisted of about 530-615 and was developed as a new bishop city magnificently. These were a complete foundation of Justinian in honor of his hometown, the nearby town of Tauresium. When planning classic elements entered into a symbiosis with Christian: In addition to baths, a forum, lined with colonnaded streets, as in the Mediterranean region and numerous churches were involved.

Caricin degrees in the south of Serbia, 45 km south of Nis, the ancient Naissus, is a pure proto- Byzantine foundation, which was built as an artificial creation on an uninhabited place from 530. She only had a short life, already 615 during the conquest of the Slavs in the Balkans, as the Byzantine control of the region collapsed, Iustiniana Prima was destroyed by the Avars and finally abandoned. Iustiniana Prima is mentioned in many sources of the 6th century. Also Prokopios of Caesarea reported in his work on the buildings of Justinian ( De aedificiis IV 1).

Justinian, the city has planned as the new capital of the region adjacent to his birthplace Tauresium and even by law ( 535; amendment 11) determined that the seat of the prefecture of Illyricum from Thessaloniki to Iustiniana Prima should be laid. She was also transferred jurisdiction over the Dacian diocese. Probably the actual effect was rather low, as Thessaloniki de facto administrative center remained.

The effect of the planning and start-up of Iustiniana Prima has nevertheless long-term alter the ecclesiastical organization of the Balkans: 545 underlined another law of Justinian ( amendment 131 ) the rights and privileges of the Archdiocese. This is confirmed the Great ( 590-604 ) at the end of the 6th century by the correspondence with Pope Gregory.

Although the city was mainly a religious center as an archbishopric, but also had a military- administrative function (eg late form of Principia as the residence of the commander of the garrison ). The town consisted of two separate parts, the Acropolis with the bishop 's seat and the lower town. In addition to the religious and administrative buildings, simple urban districts of the city have recently been uncovered, which differ by the type of construction (no mortar, lower base of stone, upper floors made ​​of wood) of the representative buildings of the Upper Town.

At the beginning of the 12th century originated in the clergy of the autocephalous Church Byzantine province "Bulgaria " (based in Achrida / Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia today ) the Ps - theory of the identity of Ohrid and Justiniana Prima, although Ohrid (the old Lychnidos ) to at the time of the sinking of Justiniana Prima church to Metropolis Dyrrachium had heard (today Durres / Albania ). The archbishops of "Bulgaria " / Ohrid led occasionally from the mid 12th century, then from Demetrios Chomatenos ( 1216-1236 ) almost generally the Greek title "NN, eleo Theu archiepiskopos Protes Iustinianes kai pases Bulgaria's " (NN, by God's grace Archbishop of Iustiniana Prima and Bulgaria. " This remained so until the incorporation of the Archdiocese in the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople Opel 1767th

Reasons for the identification of Iustiniana Prima with Caricin degree

The identification of Iustiniana Prima with Caricin degree has been discussed historically controversial. Thus, it was also trying to locate Iustiniana Prima in space Skopje in what is now Macedonia (Lit.: cf. Snively, Iustiniana Prima, Sp 639-641 ). The problem localization was mainly due to a lack of inscription, which would make an unambiguous assignment possible.

The very likely (but not absolutely proven) assignment of Iustiniana with Caricin degree however, has been adopted by many professionals.

Reasons are:

• The chronology of the settlement: an artificial foundation on undeveloped terrain from the early reign of Justinian. Towns founded in the 6th century are very rare for the Balkans.
• The geographical location: It is located in Dacia Mediterranea near the province Dardania and not far from Naissus, which fits very well to written sources ( amendment 11, prokop, John of Antioch ).
• The location in the transport network: it is neither on the Morava - Vardar - furrow still on the west by Mammemum ( Prokuplje ) and Iustiniana Secunda ( Ulpiana ) road running from Naissus after Scopi, nor on any major transverse axis. The establishment at this location would be incomprehensible without a specific reason.