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

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

necropolis, located in Perućac,

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, 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 river in the Balkans, 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 Al ...

and the main road that follows its course, at the entrance of the settlement. The site is protected by the Republic of Serbia, as a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, but is nevertheless threatened by the Drina 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 World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

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 is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, 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 is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

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

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, and one is in the National Museum in Užice). 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 point (geometry), points in a plane (mathematics), plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the Centre (geometry), centre. The distance between any point of the circle and the centre is cal ...

s, the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

, and

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

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