Mramorje ( sr-Cyrl, Мраморје) or Bagruša () is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

necropolis, located in Perućac,

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, and is among the best preserved necropoli of the region. The necropolis was built in the 14th century, and extends between the

Drina river The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whic ...

and the main road that follows its course, at the entrance of the settlement. The site is protected by the

Republic of Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, as a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, but is nevertheless threatened by the

Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whi ...

river on one side and the continued expanding of the town of Perućac, on the other. Stećaks was inscribed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2016, of which 3 sites are located in Serbia, Mramorje being one of them.

The Necropolis

The Necropolis, with about 200 tombstones made of solid

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, was established in the fourteenth century. The largest found specimens of tombstones in the necropolis reach a length of , and a width and height of nearly . Earlier sources record a number of 122 monuments, while according to recent data, there are 93 as follows: 46 panel, 18 with stand, 10 slemenjak without stand, 7 sarcophagus with stand, 10 sarcophagus without base, and 2 amorphous samples. Over time, some of the tombstones were moved, others have sunken into the ground, while several items were transferred to

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

s (two tombstones with no decorations are in the collection of the

Ethnographic Museum Ethnographic museums conserve, display and contextualize items relevant to the field of ethnography, the systematic study of people and cultures. Such museums include: List by country/region Albania * Ethnographic Museum of Kavajë, * Gjirokast� ...

in Belgrade, and one is in the National Museum in

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The C ...

). Tombstones in the necropolis are arranged in regular rows, and also tend to have an east–west orientation. No inscriptions can be read on the tombstones, however a number of them are fine-processed, very few of them are decorated, and there are a few recorded motifs (including

circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

s, the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, and sword and shield designs).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mramorje, Perucac Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century Medieval sites in Serbia Bajina Bašta Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance Medieval Serbian architecture Cemeteries in Serbia World Heritage Sites in Serbia

The Necropolis

See also

References