Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the „Official Gazette of BiH“ no. 3/08.

Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 11 to 17 September 2007 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

I

The archaeological site of Crkvina (Ledenica) with movable artefacts in Potočani, Livno Municipality, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of a historical site with the remains of an early Christian church, early mediaeval church and mediaeval necropolis, together with movable archaeological artefacts housed in the Gorica Franciscan monastery and gallery in Livno, consisting of 9 fragments of relief plaques (inventory nos. 340, 341, 342, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348 and 357), and a pottery vessel.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. (part) 302/1, Land Register entry no. 37 (old survey), title deed no. 343, corresponding to c.p. no. 928 (new survey), and c.p. nos. 621, 623, 624, 627, 628, 629, 927 and 929 (new survey), cadastral municipality Potočani, Livno Municipality, Federation of BiH, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of  BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National Monument.

II

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for ensuring and providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary to protect, conserve, display the National Monument.

The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with the basic data on the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.

III

To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated, which shall apply to the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision:

Protection Zone I consists of part of c.p. no. 302/1, corresponding to c.p. no. 928 (new survey).  In this area all works are prohibited other than research and conservation and restoration works, including those designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Protection Zone II consists of the area consisting of the adjoining plots, c.p. nos. 621, 623, 624, 627, 628, 629, 927 and 929.

The following protection measures shall apply in this area:

• all works that could in any way have the effect of altering the site or endangering the monument are prohibited unless under the supervision of the heritage protection authority;
• deep ploughing is prohibited.

IV

The removal of the archaeological artefacts referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage) from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Clause, the temporary removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina of the movable heritage for the purposes of display or conservation shall be permitted if it is established that conservation works cannot be carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Permission for temporary removal under the conditions stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall be issued by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, if it is determined beyond doubt that it will not jeopardize the movable heritage in any way. 

In granting permission for the temporary removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal may take place, the date by which the items shall be returned to the country, and the responsibility of individual authorities and institutions for ensuring that these conditions are met, and shall notify the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the relevant security service, the customs authority of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the general public accordingly.

V

All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.

VI

Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.

VII

The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federal ministry responsible for culture, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to VI of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.

VIII

The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba) 

IX

Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.

X

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.

This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik.

No: 05.1-2-934/03-3

12 September 2007

Sarajevo

Chair of the Commission

Dubravko Lovrenović

E l u c i d a t i o n

I – INTRODUCTION

Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina  and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of  BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.

On 14 January 2003 the director of the Gorica Franciscan museum and gallery in Livno submitted a proposal/petition to designate the archaeological site of Crkvina or Ledenica in Potočani near Livno as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.

II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION

In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:

• Documentation on the location and current owner and user of the property (copy of cadastral plan and copy of land register entry)
• Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
• Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.

The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:

1. Details of the property

Location

The village of Potočani is 7 km from Livno on the Livno-Sarajevo road. A turning off the asphalt road onto the macadam road to the village leads to the site after about 1 km.

The site of Crkvina or Ledenica is in the village of Potočani, above the middle of the village, by Mara Mihaljević's house and outbuildings(1). There is an Illyrian hillfort known as Gradac above the site.

Historical information

            Ever since ancient times the fertile Livno plain has favoured the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. It is surrounded by about forty Illyrian hillforts, all well defended and within the line of sight of other forts, which could be used as places of refuge in times of danger. In the early Bronze Age, they were more permanently settled (D. Periša, 1994, pp. 19,24). The hillfort known as Gradac is located above the Crkvina or Ledenice site in Potočani, with the remains of a Roman road (according to Fr. B. Vrdoljak, this has long been known locally as the "Runic" road).

Since the Late Copper and Early Bronze Ages, when the Cetina culture emerged in these parts, the Livno region has gravitated towards and had an unbroken connection with the nearby Delmatae (Dalmatian) area. (A. Milošević, 1999, p.7).

The Cetina culture had a considerable influence on the cultural development of the Illyrian tribes, and in its later stages, particularly in the early Iron Age, left its mark on the formation of the Delmatae community in this area.

In the Iron Age, the Delmatae tribe gained strength in the Livno plain and surrounding areas (B. Marijan, 1994, p. 32). The Livno and neighbouring plains of south-western Bosnia and Dalmatia formed the heartlands of the Delmatae, whence cultural and economic influences spread to parts of central Dalmatia. The Greek historian Polybius (c. 200-130 BCE) provided the first written record of the Delmatae, who gained strength in the first half of the 2nd century and attacked the people of Issa and the towns of Tragurion (Trogir) and Epetion (Stobreč), as well as threatening the neighbouring Daorsi, demanding tribute from them in grain and livestock (M. Zaninović, 1994, p. 46 ).

In 2 BCE the Delmatae clashed with the Roman army and were finally defeated following their revolt under Baton (6-9 BCE), when theh process of Romanization began. Many of the Delmatae's hillforts in the Livno region became Roman fortifications and settlements: Bariduum-Livno, Pelva-Lištani, Vašarovine, Lipa, Potočani and others (1994, p. 42). The Livno plain had always been of great importance as a link between the interior and the Adriatic and Mediterranean hinterland. The Roman waystation of Pelva (Lištani) on the road between Aequum (Čitluk near Sinj) and Salvium (Vrbo, the Glamoč plain) in Lištani and Bariduum, probably where the town of Livno now stands, was one of the links between these areas. The Roman road leading from Lištani over a distance of 4 km to Strupnići below Golija was accompanied by minor local roads between the various settlements. The main Roman road across the Livno plain linked Salon and Servitium (Bosanska Gradiška).

While retaining their Delmatian names, as evidenced by inscriptions and epitaphs on tombstones, the population adopted the practice of incineration(2), using urns shaped like houses or temples, only to reintroduce inhumation(3) from the mid 2nd century on (M. Zaninović, 1994, p. 47).  There is extensive material evidence dating from the time of Roman domination, much of which is housed in the Gorica Franciscan Museum and Gallery in Livno.

The invasion by the Huns in 375 and other barbarian peoples (the great migration of peoples) forced the inhabitants of the plain to seek refuge in hillforts such as Gradina at the source of the Bastašica, Grac in Potočani, Tabija and Podgradina, and Gradina in Grkovci. In about 380 the Roman limes on the Danube fell, and various barbarian tribes crossed the Danube into Pannonia, laying waste Dalmatia and the Livno and surrounding areas.

It was then that Christianity began to spread. The archbishopric of Salona (Split) covered the province of Dalmatia; until 533 the Livno and Glamoč area, the territory of the municipia of Salvia and Delminia, also came under its immediate jurisdiction. Evidence of the spread of Christianity to the Livno area is provided by archaeological artefacts from the sites so far investigated, the remains of a small early Christian church of the "Bosnian" or "Narotan" type were found at Rešetarica; fragments of the furnishings of an early Christian church were found at St John's in Livno (M. Petrinec, 1999, p. 30); the foundations of an early Christian complex with two basilicas (north and south) and a baptismal font (of importance for this period) have been found on the complex site of Lištani-Podvornice. Bastasi, Podgradina, Suhača, Donji Rujani and Potočani are some of the sites yet to be investigated that, individual artefacts suggest, belong to this period.

In the 9th century, the county of Livno probably covered not only the Livno plain but also the Duvno and Glamoč plains. The country town was Livno, which is first referred to in 892 by the name of Cleuna, in a charter of the Croatian prince Muncimir, which cites Želimir, lord of the county of Livno, in the capacity of witness (M. Petrinec, 1999, p. 32). The name of the town also appears in a census of inhabited forts in the mid 10th century work by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio, in which he describes Croatia and lists its counties, with Livno first on the list of eleven. Livno county probably covered the Duvno and Glamoč plains as well as the Livno plain.  A charter of King Zvonimir dating from the last quarter of the 11th century refers to Dobrila, comes (count) of Livno.

Ecclesiastically speaking, in mediaeval times Livno was under the jurisdiction of the Split archbishopric, and its powers were confirmed by the Hungaro-Croatian kings Koloman (1103) and Andrija II (1207). Pope Celestine III also included the county of Livno within this bishopric. With the formation of the Bosnian vicariate in 1340, Livno formed part of the Duvno custodiate, which covered western Herzegovina, the Cetina region and Tropolje (Završje).

From the early 13th century, the area covering the Livno, Glamoč and Duvno plains was increasingly referred to as Tropolje (Tres campi). In 1326, during the reign of Stjepan II Kotromanić (1314-1353), Tropolje became part of the Bosnian state, after which it was known as Završje or the Western Marches, reflecting a central Bosnian point of view.

The Livno fort itself (castrum Cleune) was also known at times as the Bistrica fort (castrum Bystryze), since the mediaeval fort, of which the ramparts and towers are still visible, was above the source of the river Bistrica.

2. Description of the property

The site of Crkvina or Ledenice is on the outskirts of a former late antique castrum. Here Fr. B. Vrdoljak found the remains of the foundations of a building (part of a semicircular apse), a pottery vessel very close to the foundations (by the east wall of the church, where it merges into the apse wall), and pieces of early Christian and pre-Romanesque furnishings (V. Delonga, 1994, p. 87). Although no systematic archaeological investigations have been conducted, the architecture he found probably belonged originally to an early Christian church, which was later restored in the pre-Romanesque style, and given new stone furnishings decorated with geometric interlaced designs (V. Delonga, 1994, p. 87, M. Petrinec, 1999, p.35, cat. no. 217-218). This calls for a comparison between the archaeological remains (of churches) from sites in Livno, Rapovine, Grepci, Rešetarica and Potočani. The church furnishings from these sites reveal the same taste and stylistic features, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries (Fr. B. Vrdoljak,1993, p.9).

A number of ornamented stone fragments happened to find their way to the Gorica Livno Franciscan museum and gallery. According to Fr. B. Vrdoljak, they were brought to the museum by Fr. Branko Krilić in 1936/1937, without any record of the site where they had been found.  It was only later, using comparative methods and thanks to the fact that the fragments fitted together (the fragment in question and a fragment found by Fr. Bono Vrdoljak at the Crkvina site), that they were found to originate from the Potočani site.  All the movable archaeological artifacts from the site are in this museum in Livno.

Description:

• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 340), material: mudstone, 12 x 9 cm, 6 cm thick, date 9th-10th c. Part of a decorative panel with the remains of a quadruple band in relief has survived.  Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 341), material: mudstone,  11 x 10 cm, 5.5 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with quadruple bands in relief and a stylized flower has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 342), material: mudstone, 12 x 29 cm, 8.5 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with a rosette in relief and the figure of a bird, its body filled with fine incisions, has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 344), material: mudstone, 12 x 16.5 cm, 8.5 cm thick. Part of a decorative planel with a double band in relief framing a four-petalled flower has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 345), material: mudstone, 26 x 10.5 cm, 9 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with a four-petalled flower in relief framed by intersecting double bands with an oculus at the intersections has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 346), material: mudstone, 13 x 10.5 cm, 6 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with double bands in relief and a four-petalled flower has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of relief plaque (inv. no. 347), material: mudstone, 25 x 17.5 cm, 7 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with double bands in relief and a four-petalled flower has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of a relief plaque (inv. no. 348), material: mudstone, 16 x 12 cm, 5.5 cm thick. Part of a decorative panel with double bands in relief and a four-petalled flower has survived. Date 5th-6th c.
• fragment of a relief plaque (inv. no. 357), material: mudstone, 52 x 28 cm, 8 cm thick. On both sides the surrounding frame, consisting of two oval grooves, has survived. There is a rounded moulding inside the outer groove, intersected at regular intervals by two moulded cross-ribs.  There are the traces of stone-mason’s tool marks inside the inner groove. The decorative panel is covered in a decoration in bas relief composed of geometric and plant (rosette, foliar) motifs.

In his article entitled "Starohrvatska crkva u Potočanima” (An Early Croatian Church in Potočani)  B. Vrdoljak published details of a pottery vessel and two fragments of the altar partition.

Description:

• pottery vessel, height 30 cm; the neck is reinforced and decorated, and three separate single-grooved undulations extend over the upper part of the belly

3. Legal status to date

According to the available information the archaeological site has not been registered as a cultural monument.

4. Research and conservation and restoration works 

In 1990 Fr. Bono M. Vrdoljak dug a small trench in a field belonging to the late Pašklo Mihaljević. Over the two or three days that the trench remained open, the remains of part of the foundations of an apse were discovered, with a pottery vessel very close to it, and fragments of early Christian and pre-Romanesque furnishings.

The site has not yet been systematically investigated.

5. Current condition of the property

During an on site inspection on 17 July 2007 the following was ascertained:

• The site is overgrown with tall grass, and the remains of the foundations of the apse could not be seen.
• One tombstone was observed, of which only part (the longer edge) emerges above ground by 20 cm. Traces of plaster were seen on the site. In the outbuilding belonging to Mara Mihaljević, fragments of urns had been incorporated as spolia (about ten), which the owner said had been taken from the Crkvina or Ledenica site. These spolia exhibited rope-twist and spiral designs. The spolia are of various sizes, and range in length from 10 to 30 cm.

6. Specific risks

• self-sown vegetation
• the illegal use of parts of the monuments.

III – CONCLUSION

Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.

The Decision was based on the following criteria:

A. Time frame

B. Historical value

C. Artistic and aesthetic value

C. v. value of details

D. Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)

D.i. material evidence of lesser known historical periods

D.ii. evidence of historical change

D. iv. evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner

E. Symbolic value

E.i. ontological value

E.ii. religious value

E.iii. traditional value

E.iv. relation to rituals or ceremonies

E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people

            F. Townscape/landscape value

G. Authenticity

G.v. location and setting

G.vi. spirit and feeling

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

• Copy of cadastral plan
• Photodocumentation;
• Drawings

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the monument as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted: 

1992.    Vrdoljak, fra Bono, "Potočani čekaju istraživače" (Potočani Awaits Investigation), Livanjski vidici, yr. I, no. 10, Livno, 8

1993.    Vrdoljak, fra Bono, "Kasnoantička crkva u Potočanima" (The Late Antique Church in Potočani), Livanjski vidici, yr. II, no. 11, Livno, 9 

1993.    Vrdoljak, fra Bono, "Starohrvatska crkva u Potočanima" (An Early Croatian Church in Potočani), Livanjski vidici, yr. II, no. 11, Livno, 9

1994.    Periša, Darko, Livno u predhistorijsko doba (Livno in Prehistoric Times), 19-31

1994.  Zaninović, Marin, Livanjsko polje u antici kao primjer delmatske zajednice, Livanjski kraj u povijesti (The Livno Plain in Antiquity as an Example of a Delmatae Community, the Livno Region in History), Split- Livno 1994, 45-55.

1999.    Milošević, Ante, Predgovor, Arheološka zbirka Franjevačkog muzeja u Livnu (Foreword, the Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Museum in Livno), Split, 1999, 7-8

1999.    Petrinec, Maja, Kasnoantičko razdoblje, Arheološka zbirka Franjevačkog muzeja u Livnu (The Late Antique Period, the Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Museum in Livno), Split, 1999, 29-31

1999.   Petrinec, Maja, Srednjovjekovno razdoblje, Arheološka zbirka Franjevačkog muzeja u Livnu (The Mediaeval Period, the Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Museum in Livno), Split, 1999, 32-38

(1) A feature of the site is that there are several oak trees growing there which can be seen from the asphalt road.

(2) Cremation of the deceased

(3) Burial