It is dedicated to the Dukljan prince and saint Jovan Vladimir, the son-in-law of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuil.

[1] The first temple is the oldest large Orthodox basilica from the times of Tsar Samuil, rebuilt as present church by the Thopia family in 1381.

[2][3][4] Karl Thopia, the Prince of Albania, died in 1388 and was buried in Saint John Vladimir's Church.

[7] An Orthodox monastery grew around the church, and became the seat of the newly founded Archdiocese of Dyrrhachium in the 18th century.

[8] Later on, in the late 18th and early 19th century, the monastery became an important center for writing the Albanian language in another original script known as the Todhri alphabet.