Discover

'Justiniana Prima' (Serbian: ''Caričin grad'') was a Byzantine city located in today southern Serbia near today's Leskovac. However, the location can not be established with certainty; inhabitants of Skopje in Republic of Macedonia also claim the location of Justinian I's imperial city.
After being founded by emperor Justinian I it existed from the 530s to 615 and was designed as a splendid bishop's seat. The city was a completely new foundation in honour of the nearby village of Tauresium, the birthplace of Justinian. The city planning combined classical and christian elements: thermae, a forum, streets with colonnades as typical mediterranean features went along with numerous churches.
The suggested location of Justiniana Prima in Caričin is not completely proven but based on some evidence, mainly its dating in the 6th century and its geographical setting but alternative locations such as today's Skopje have been suggested, too. Contemporary sources are rare which makes it difficult to gain a definitive answer for this problem.
Justinian himself ordered the foundation by law in 535 making it at the same time the capital of the prefecture of Illyricum instead of Thessalonike. It also was chosen as the seat of the dacian diocese. It has to be said though that Thessaloniki actually didn't lose much of its administrative functions during the short livetime of Justiniana Prima. Still the new foundation was not without effect and Justinian made sure that this city, that was one of his favourite projects, received all the necessary promotion. In 545 Justinian published another law underlining the episcopal rights and status of Justiniana Prima which is also confirmed by letters that were exchanged between Justinian and pope Gregory at the end of the 6th century.
In 615 the city suddenly was destroyed be invading Avars coming from north of the Danube.