Founded in 1219 by Saint Sava as the Eparchy of Zeta,[1] it has continued to exist, without interruption, up to the present time, and has remained one of the most prominent dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

[3] His official title is "Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral" (Serbian: Црногорско-приморски митрополит, romanized: Crnogorsko-primorski mitropolit).

[4] The Eparchy of Zeta was founded in 1219 by Sava of the Nemanjić dynasty, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church.

After receiving the autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and confirmation from the Byzantine Emperor, Archbishop Sava organized the area under his ecclesiastical jurisdiction into nine bishoprics.

[9] During that period, the Republic of Venice gradually conquered coastal regions of Zeta, including cities of Kotor, Budva, and the Bar and Ulcinj.

In 1452, the Venetians destroyed the Cathedral Monastery in Prevlaka, in order to facilitate their plans for the gradual conversion of the Eastern Orthodox Christians from these parts of the coast into the Roman Catholic faith.

[17][18] During the 16th and 17th centuries, the bishops and the local Christian leaders led armed resistance against the Ottomans on several occasions, with some degree of success.

At the beginning of the 17th century, Montenegrins fought and won two important battles at Lješkopolje (1603 and 1613), under the leadership and command of metropolitan Rufim Njeguš.

[25] After brief tenure of Arsenije Plamenac (1781–1784), several new policies were introduced by Metropolitan Petar I Petrović-Njegoš (1784–1830),[26] who initiated the unification process between the Old Montenegro and the region of Brda.

[27][28] The same process was completed by his successor Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1830–1851),[29] who received consecration from the Russian Holy Synod in 1833,[30] establishing a practice that lasted until 1885.

During his long reign, metropolitans Ilarion Roganović (since 1863), and Visarion Ljubiša (since 1882) undertook some important reforms of church administration.

Such diocesan affiliation was no longer maintainable, and for the newly annexed regions a new bishopric was created, the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raška, with seat in Nikšić.

No ecclesiastical province with joint church bodies was created until 1904, under the metropolitan Mitrofan Ban (1884–1920), when a Holy Synod was established,[38][35] formally consisting of two bishops, but because of the long vacancy in Nikšić, it did not start to function until 1908.

December 1918 by the Holy Synod, consisted of all three hierarchs in Montenegro: Mitrofan Ban of Cetinje, Kirilo Mitrović of Nikšić, and Gavrilo Dožić of Peć.

[52] In 1931, under the provisions of the newly adopted Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raška with its seat in Nikšić was abolished, and its territory was added to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral.

The Metropolitanate was affected severely during the occupation, and more than hundred priests and other clergymen from the territory of Montenegro lost their lives during the war.

Metropolitan Joanikije Lipovac co-operated closely with several right-wing movements, and also tried to mediate with local Italian and German officials in occupied Montenegro, thus provoking animosity of the left-wing Yugoslav Partisans.

Persecution was particularly severe during the first years of Communist rule (1944–1948) The new regime exerted direct pressure on the clergy in order to crush all forms of anti-communist opposition.

[70] Since Montenegro became a sovereign country in 2006, after a narrow independence referendum, relations between state authorities and the Metropolitanate became increasingly complex.

As a strong supporter of Serbian-Montenegrin unionism, Metropolitan Amfilohije was seen as an opponent to newly proclaimed Montenegrin independence, and thus a new political dimension to several ecclesiastical disputes was added.

[72][73] During the following years, various disputes arose, mainly over the question of historical and canonical legitimacy and effective control over some church objects and properties.

Prolonged mass public manifestations ensued in support for the Metropolitanate[75] that lasted until the parliamentary election in August 2020 and the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) losing power.

[76] On 5 September 2021, the new head of the diocese, Joanikije Mićović, who had been the administrator of the Metropolitanate from 30 October 2020, was enthroned in the Cetinje Monastery by the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije Perić.