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Maculje necropolis with stećak tombstones, the historic site

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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 historic site of the Maculje necropolis with stećak tombstones, Novi Travnik Municipality, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of a necropolis with 101 stećak tombstones and 16 cruciform tombstones.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1394 and the northern part of c.p. no.1396, cadastral municipality Rostovo, Land Register entry no. ISKAZ I, title deed no. 53, Novi Travnik Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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 and 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 basic details of 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 measures are hereby stipulated

Protection Level I consists of the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision. The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:

-          all works are prohibited other than research and conservation and restoration works, including works 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 (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority),

Protection Level II consists of a buffer zone extending 50 m from the boundaries of Protection Zone I. The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:

-          the extraction of stone, the location of potential environmental polluters as defined by law, the construction of industrial facilities, major infrastructural works or any structures the construction or operation of which could be detrimental to the National Monument are prohibited.

The Government of the Federation shall be responsible in particular for ensuring that the following measures are implemented:

-          drawing  up a programme to determine the current condition of the National Monument

-          conducting a geodetic survey of the current condition

-          drawing up a project for the repair, restoration and conservation of the necropolis.

-          The repair, restoration and conservation project is to cover:

-          archaeological investigations

-          clearing the stećak tombstones of lichen and moss and repairing any damage

-          tidying the necropolis, including removing self-sown vegetation along the local road running through the necropolis

-          drawing up and implementing a programme for the presentation of the National Monument.

 

IV

 

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

 

V

 

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.

 

VI

 

The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, 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 V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.

 

VII

 

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) 

 

VIII

 

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.

 

IX

 

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: 05.1-2-78/05-6

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 21 February 2005 the Preporod Bosnian Cultural Association, Novi Travnik branch submitted a proposal to designate the historic site of the Maculje necropolis with stećak tombstones, Novi Travnik Municipality, 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 Maculje necropolis with stećak tombstones is at an altitude of 998 metres, 21 km from Novi Travnik on the road to Gornji Vakuf.

A turn-off from this road leads to the hamlet of Seona along 1.5 km of macadam road, which bisects the necropolis. Seona is surrounded by the villages of Rat, Has and Dahovo. The area is rich in spring water: the Rizvića spring, Korin do and Ograda.

The nearest house to the necropolis is about 50 m away.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1394 and the northern part of c.p. no.1396, cadastral municipality Rostovo, Land Register entry no. ISKAZ I, title deed no. 53, Novi Travnik Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

            According to the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, writing in the mid 10th century, there were four political territories in the area now forming Bosnia and Herzegovina, each with a greater or lesser degree of independence: Trebinje with Konavlje, Hum, part of the Neretljana district, and Bosna. During the next few centuries, Trebinje and Hum remains self-governing territories under the Doclean and Rascian rulers, while Bosnia gradually grew in size and became increasingly independent. The nucleus of the mediaeval Bosnian state came into being in Visoko, around the upper reaches of the river Bosna. By the mid 10th century, when the "land of Bosnia" state first appears in historical sources, it already covered seven counties: Vrhbosna, Vidogošća (Vogošća), Lepenica, Bosna (the separately constituted area around Visoko), Trstivnica, Brod (around Zenica) and Lašva (Anđelić, 1984. a, 9-10, 113). The mediaeval župa (county) of Lašva covered the area of today’s municipalities of Busovača, Vitez, Novi Travnik and Travnik. It was ruled by the Bosnian bans (governors) and later, from 1377, by Bosnia's kings. Lašva was one of the largest and most fertile counties of inner Bosnia, and was no doubt well populated, with its people mainly involved in agriculture. More than fifty 14th and 15th century necropolises of stećak tombstones have been identified in the area (Bešlagić, 1971, 141-145, 154-156), along with the mediaeval towns or forts of Toričan, Travnik, Bosnić or Škaf and Vrbenac grad (Petrović, 1931).  

Considering its size and importance, there are not many historical documents about Lašva relating to mediaeval times. The earliest reference to the county is in a charter of King Bela IV of 1244, which may not be authentic, where it is described as a holding of the Bosnian bishopric "by three churches" (Vego, 1957,150,  N. Klaić, 1994, 112-115 ).   

In 1373, ban Tvrtko bestowed the village of Čukle on Stjepan Rajković (Anđelić, 1972, 291-292, n. 109).

In 1380 King Tvrtko I appointed Hrvoje Vukčić as grand duke and bestowed on him two villages in Lašva, Trbeuša and Bila, which were probably part of the royal demesne (Anđelić, 1972, 292).

In the late 14th century, tepčija (a functionary of some kind) Batalo had holdings in part of Lašva county, around Turbe. He features as a witness in charters of the Bosnian rulers from Dabiša to Ostoja, at the turn of the 14th and 15th century.

In the summer of 1415, the Lašva area, where Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić had some holdings, was the scene of a battle between the Hungarian and Ottoman armies, in which the Hungarians were defeated (Ćirković, 1964, 242).

A document of 8 February 1421in the Dubrovnik archives refers to a castellan in the fortress in Turica in Lašva (Kovačević-Kojić, 1978, 252). The location of this place is unknown.

On 16 July 1455, the merchant Radoslav Umiljenović of Dubrovnik was robbed in Lašva (Kovačević-Kojić, 1978, 314).

 

2. Description of the property

The stećak tombstones of central Bosnia are the most numerous and diverse cultural monuments of mediaeval Bosnia. They are present throughout, but relatively greatest in numbers around Ilijaš, Visoko, Kiseljak, Travnik and Gornji Vakuf.

The Maculje necropolis consists of 101 stećak tombstones – 32 slab-shaped, 52 chest-shaped, 11 gabled (ridge-shaped), and six which were too badly sunk into the ground to identify (Š. Kreševljaković, 1987. p.147). They lie west-east and south-north, with a few out of line. The are made of limestone, and arranged in rows. The tombstones are mostly of good workmanship, though there are some poorly-made, almost amorphous examples that were also used as tombstones. Most common are chest-shaped tombstones with plinths, followed by sarcophagi with or without plinths, and a few ordinary slabs.

The stećak tombstones are undecorated, with the exception of stećak no. 1 (measuring 164 x 103 x 55cm, at an altitude of 994 m), which has a poorly-preserved circle (orb).

Stećak no. 20, which is chest-shaped, stands out on account of its size (214 x 177 x 32 cm).

Stećak no. 82 is chest-shaped on a plinth which narrows towards the base (a rare type of tombstone).

All sixteen crosses are decorated except cross no. 3.

Description of crosses

Cross no. 1  is the largest in the necropolis, at 220 x 110 x 49 cm. The upright is in the shape of a man's head with short, symmetrical, triangular projections forming the arms of the cross.  Decoration: stylized cross (70 x 43 x 50 cm) in the shape of a man, well-preserved, on the arms, with a circle (orb) on each, a carved crescent moon below.

On cross no. 2 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short, symmetrical, triangular projections forming the arms. of the cross. Decoration: stylized anthropomorphic cross, well-preserved, with around it – from the arms to the upright – five circles (orbs) arranged symmetrically, a carved crescent moon below.

Cross no. 3 is undecorated. The top part of the upright is longer than the arms, which are more like projections; one is badly damaged.

On cross no. 4 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross. The decoration is not in a good state of preservation, but can still be made out: a cross (the arms and lower part of the upright roughly equal in length, the top upright somewhat longer), above which are three small wart-like circles arranged symmetrically, with a carved crescent moon above them.

On cross no. 5 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross with the top part of the upright somewhat longer than the lower. The decoration on the cross is poorly preserved and can barely be made out.

Cross no. 6 has fallen over and is completely overgrown with grass.

On cross no. 7 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have pointed triangular ends. The decoration of a Greek cross is in a poor state of preservation, barely recognizable.

On cross no. 8 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have pointed triangular ends, one very badly damaged. Decoration: stylized anthropomorphic cross, not clearly visible and poorly preserved.

On cross no. 9 the top of the upright is rounded like the head of a man, seen frontally, while the rounded side arms are barely indicated. Decoration: poorly preserved cross with a crescent moon above it.

On cross no. 10 the top of the upright is rounded like the head of a man, seen frontally, while the rounded side arms are barely indicated. Decoration: Greek cross with a carved crescent moon above it, in a poor state of preservation but recognizable.

On cross no. 11 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have pointed triangular ends. Decoration: poorly visible stylized anthropomorphic cross with a crescent moon below it.

On cross no. 12 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have pointed triangular ends. Decoration: clearly visible stylized anthropomorphic cross below which is a carved crescent moon. The cross is leaning towards the east.

On cross no. 13 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have rounded ends. Decoration: visible cross, the cross-arms somewhat longer than the upright, with a carved crescent moon above it.

On cross no. 14 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have rounded, slightly accentuated ends. Decoration: visible Greek cross, with a carved crescent moon below it.

On cross no. 15 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have triangular, slightly accentuated ends. Decoration: poorly preserved, barely visible Greek cross.

On cross no. 16 the upright is in the shape of a man's head with short symmetrical projections forming the arms of the cross, which have rounded ends. Decoration: barely visible Greek cross, with a crescent moon above it. The cross is leaning so far to the west that its arm is touching the ground. There is a hole some 10 cm wide almost at the centre of the upright.

These crosses are a specific type of cross found in the Travnik and Zenica area, with no analogy in the stećak areas. They are an original form of cross that has not yet been sufficiently studied (Š. Bešlagić, 1982, p. 107).

There are varying opinions on when stećak tombstones first came into being, how long they lasted and when they ceased to be made. The information available suggests that they first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, that their first stage lasted trhroughout the 13th century, and that a great many were cut and decorated in the 14th and 15th centuries with the art reaching its peak in the second half of the 14th and first half of the 15th century. By the end of the 16th century the art had died out entirely (Š. Bešlagić, 1982, p. 72).

Cruciform tombstones are the most recent form, and do not belong to the mediaeval period (P. Korošec, 1952, p. 397).

However similar the cruciform tombstones may appear to one another, several stages of evolution can be observed on them (P. Korošec, 1952, p. 397). Their principal feature is the top or head, followed by the protuberances to the side intended to indicate the horizontal arms of the cross, which would better be called shoulders in this case. The head is not always the same, but indicates typical differences, that could have come into being only at considerable distances of time. The shoulders are not so typical in this regard as are their number and certain other features that should not be overlooked. In the early stages of the development of the cruciform tombstone, there were no shoulders, nor any division of the tombstone into an upper and lower part, from which the head of the cross later evolved. The entire tombstone looks more like an oval slab, wider at the top and narrower at the base. Later, the head gradually became differentiated, being shaped by a narrowing above the shoulders to form a kind of neck. In the final stage of evolution of the cruciform tombstone the rounded head is quite distinct, with the shoulders playing an important part in number and treatment.

When attempting to date cruciform tombstones, one must settle for mere assumptions. The transition from the slab to the cross probably took place in the first half of the 17th century. The tombstones that are already cruciform but where the head is not yet formed would belong to the latter half of the 17th century, and those with a distinct head to the 18th century, the latest of these being those with a rounded head. It is not possible to determine with accuracy the time span between cruciform tombstones with a rounded head and those in the shape of a cross (P. Korošec, 1952, p. 405).

 

3. Legal status to date

The Regional Plan for BiH to 2000 lists five necropolises with stećak tombstones (188 stećaks)  in the Novi Travnik area as Category III monuments. Their exact location is not given.

 

4. Research and conservation and restoration works 

In the 1950s the directorate of the National Museum in Sarajevo began systematic research into the necropolises with stećak tombstones in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first such research in the Travnik area was restricted to the Lašva valley, in the area from the Lašva to Karaula, the river Bila valley to Brajkovići and Gučja Gora, the valley of the Komarska Lašva oo Goleši and the Grovnica valley, and was conducted by P. Korošec, who listed 52 necropolises (P. Korošec, 1952, p. 378-407).   She described a necropolis of 105 mainly chest-shaped stećak tombstones and 16 crosses in Rostovo (near the village of Rostovo, to be precise) under serial nos. 16 and 50.

Š. Bešlagić wrote that there was a necropolis at Mašeta with 115 stećak tombstones – 87 chest-shaped, 15 gabled, and 13 cruciform (Š. Bešlagić, 1971, p. 154).

M. Kreševljaković refers to Maculje as the largest necropolis in Novi Travnik Municipality, with 101 stećak tombstones (52 chest-shaped, 32 slabs, 11 gabled, 6 undetermined on account of damage) and 16 crosses, and gives a plan of the necropolis (M. Kreševljaković, 1987, p. 147).

 

5. Current condition of the property

During an on-site inspection on 31 July 2007 the following was ascertained:

-          some of the stećak tombstones have been damaged by long-term exposure to the elements

-          plant organisms, mainly lichens and moss, are present on the majority of the tombstones, and are breaking down the structure of the stone

-          the site of the entire necropolis is overgrown with tall grasses, low vegetation and bushes, and it was impossible to ascertain the exact number of stećak tombstones

-          some of the tombstones have fallen over

-          stećak no. 93 has been shifted from its plinth

-          cross no. 6 has fallen over and is overgrown with grass

-          cross no. 16 is sinking and has a marked tilt to the west, touching the ground

-          some of the stećak tombstones are completely overgrown with grass

-          the ornaments on some of the stećaks are no longer visible, apart from the very poorly preserved orbs on stećak no. 1, while on all the crosses apart from no. 3 the ornaments have survived to a greater or lesser degree.

 

6. Specific risks

-          long-term lack of maintenance of the site

-          adverse weather conditions

-          self-sown vegetation

 

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.iv. composition

C. v. value of details

G. Authenticity

G.i. form and design

G.ii. material and content

G.v. location and setting

H. Rarity and representativity

H.i. unique or rare example of a certain type or style

 

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-          Copy of cadastral plan

-          Copy of land register entry and proof of title;

-          Photodocumentation; 11 photographs taken on site

 

Bibliography

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

 

1931.    Petrović, Jozo, S arheologom kroz Travnik (With an Archaeologist through Travnik), Zagreb, 1931.

 

1952.    Korošec, Paola, "Srednjevjekovne nekropole okoline Travnika" (Mediaeval Necropolises in the Travnik Region), Jnl of the National Museum, n.s, vol. VII, Sarajevo, 1952, 375-407

 

1964.    Ćirković, Simo, Istorija srednjovjekovne bosanske države (History of the Mediaeval Bosnian State), Belgrade, 1964.

 

1967.    Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci centralne Bosne, Srednjovjekovni nadgrobni spomenici Bosne i Hercegovine (Stećak Tombstones of Central Bosnia, Mediaeval Tombstones of Bosnia and Herzegovina),  Sarajevo 1967, vol. IX

 

1957.    Vego, Marko, Naselja bosanske srednjovjekovne države (Settlements of the Mediaeval Bosnian State), Sarajevo, 1957.

 

1971.    Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci, kataloško-topografski pregled (Stećak tombstones, a catalogue and topographical survey), Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo, 1971, 142-143.

 

1978.    Kovačević-Kojić, Desanka, Gradska naselja srednjovjekovne bosanske države (Urban Settlements of the Mediaeval Bosnian State), Sarajevo, 1978.

            

1982.    Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci-kultura i umjetnost (Stećak Tombstones – Culture and Art), Sarajevo, 1982.

 

1987.    Kreševljaković, Muhamed, Naselja opštine Pucarevo (Settlements of Pucarevo Municipality), Pucarevo, 146-151.      

 

1984.    Anđelić, Pavao, „Doba srednjovjekovne bosanske države“ (The Age of the Mediaeval Bosnian State) in Kulturna istorija Bosne i Hercegovine od najstarijih vremena do pada ovih zemalja pod osmansku vlast (Cultural History of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Ancient Times to the Fall of these Lands under Ottoman Rule), Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo, 1984, 435-587.

 

1988.    Various authors, Arheološki leksikon Bosne i Hercegovine (Archaeological Lexicon of BiH), Vol. 3, National Museum in Sarajevo, Sarajevo 1988

      

1994.    Klaić, Nada, Srednjovjekovna Bosna, politički položaj bosanskih vladara do Tvrtkove krunidbe (1377.g.) (Mediaeval Bosnia, the political position of Bosnia's rulers up to the coronation of Tvrtko [1377]) Zagreb, 1994.



Necropolis with stećak tombstones Maculje - group of stećak tombstonesGroup of stećak tombstones, crosses Anthropomorphic crossChest on pedestal
Stećak tombstone no.11Anthropomorphic crossesCross, decoration Decoration - crescent and cross
Slab on pedestal   


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