For the historian Mihailo Popović space connects the development of the world from the topography of natural conditions, through political and religious changes and structures, to the fates of the people. Therefore, the geographic location of churches, monasteries, and sacred artifacts is an important indication of the spatial structure of the church's sphere of influence.
The principalities of Duklja and Raška were located in the former border area between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. However, after the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire, an ecclesiastical influence remained from the West through Rome and from the East through Constantinople (today Istanbul). Consequently, the hinterland, Raška, and the North-Eastern regions of Duklja were Orthodox, while the coast was under Catholic influence. Even though the borders between the two principalities were not clearly defined, the Dinaric Mountains separated the two religious zones.