Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the „Official Gazette of BiH“ no. 89/09.

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 20 to 27 November 2007 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

I

The archaeological site of Otinovci with the remains of churches dating from the 5th, 15th and 19th centuries, Kupres Municipality, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of an archaeological site with the remains of a late antique basilica dating from the 5th century, the remains of the 15th century church of the Holy Trinity, and the remains of the 19th century church of St John the Baptist, on the same foundations, together with movable artefacts from the site (fragments of stone).

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot nos. 479/12 (the pasture above the church) and 479/13 (the churchyard), Land Register entry no. 67, together with c.p. nos. 489/7, 489/101, 489/102 and 479/16, cadastral municipality Otinovci, Municipality Kupres, 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 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 measures are hereby stipulated, pertaining to the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision.

Protection level I consists of c.p. no. 479/12 (the pasture above the church) and c.p. no. 479/13 (the churchyard). The following measures shall apply at this level:

• all works are prohibited other than research and conservation and restoration works, including works designed to display the monument, subject to 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),
• this zone is an archaeological site, and for this reason all works that could in any way have the effect of altering the area or endangering the monument are prohibited,
• the site of the monument shall be cleared,
• the site shall be open and accessible to the public, and may be used for educationbal and cultural purposes,
• the fragments found on the site shall be catalogued,
• the dumping of waste is prohibited.

Protection level II consists of c.p. nos. 489/7, 489/101, 489/102 and 479/16. The following measures shall apply to this level:

• the area is a potential archaeological site, and for this reason infrastructural works that could in any way have the effect of altering the area or endangering the monument are prohibited unless under the supervision of the heritage protection authority.

IV

The removal of the movable 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, the Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 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: 05.1-2-142/07-4

22 November 2007

Sarajevo

Chair of the Commission

Ljiljana Ševo

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 1 August 2007 the Kupres Municipal Council submitted a proposal/petition to designate the archaeological site of Otinovci with the remains of churches dating from the 5th, 15th and 19th

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 Otinovci is located three kilometres to the north-east of Kupres at an altitude of 1264 m, longitude 43° 58’ 45.8” and latitude 17° 18’ 31.2”, at the foot of Mt. Stožer (1758 m) by the northern edge of the Kupres plain. The conserved archaeological remains of three churches are below the newly-built church of St John the Baptist.

Historical information

The severe climate would seem to make this area unsuitable for permanent human habitation, but material remains in various places throughout the Kupres plateau constitute persuasive evidence that the area has been inhabited ever since prehistoric times. Prehistoric structures are the most numerous: hillforts on Pogana glavica, Velika and Mala Gradina in Vrilim, the hillforts at Crljenac and in Ravno, stone tumuli at Jeljano and Dvorišći, earth tumuli on the Kupres plain, and about fifty groups with more than a thousand stećak tombstones between them (Arheološki leksikon BiH [Archaeological Lexicon of BiH], 1998, map IV).

The most interesting archaeological find in the Kupres area came from an earth tumulus in Pustopolje near Gornji Malovan, dating from about 1800 BCE (M. Petrinec, 1999, 21). The grave that was found was composed of pieces of a wooden sledge, and the body of the deceased was laid in a cramped position, wrapped in cloth; the grave was in an excellent state of preservation(1).  

Among artefacts dating from antiquity found on the Kupres plateau, the traces of Roman roads in a good state of preservation over a fair distance are of interest (Đ. Basler, 1953, 338). A well known Roman road in this part of the world known as the Solar road links the Janja valley with that of the Rama. In Roman times this road was undoubtedly of importance as a link with the main Tomislavgrad-Bugojno road.

The stretch of road from Vagno to Varvara-Rumbok is stil in use, although it no longer follows the old route exactly, being shifted a few metres away in some places. The abandoned section of the Roman road north of Gornji Malovan may still be followed with ease.

When the Bugojno-Livno road was being built in 1892, the buried remains of a Roman house used as a guardhouse were found in the Velika Vrata cutting. In addition to bricks, the finds included coins, a fibula, a stylus and a ring (Š. Bešlagić, 1954, 156).

Five other archaeological sites have been recorded in the village of Otinovci in addition to the early Christian remains: two prehistoric earth tumuli and three late mediaeval graves marked by stećak tombstones (Arheološki leksikon BiH, 1988, 183).

There is much data leading to the conclusion that Otinovci was a settlement in antiquity.  Dr. Karlo Patsch states that there was a “wealthy, fairly large Roman settlement“ in Otinovci (Š. Bešlagić, 1954, 156, K. Patsch, 1895, 286-290).

In 1855, Martin Nedić found the ruins of a church in Otinovci, together with part of a plaque with a Latin inscription, which he found in the cobble paving of the parish courtyard (Š. Bešlagić,1954, 157, Fermendžim, Acta Bosna, 204-205).

There is information to the effect that in 1447 a request was sent to the Pope by the Bosnian bishopric for a dispensation to be issued for the church of the Holy Trinity in Vrila, i.e. Otinovci (Š. Bešlagić, 1954,  157).

M. Batinić states on page 102 of the first volume of his 1855 work Djelovanju franjevaca u BiH (Work of the Franciscans in BiH) that King Stjepan Tomaš, wishing to prove his loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church, built a new church and procured church vestments, but notes that this Vrila could be near Tešanj, since at that time the remains of the church were yet to be discovered. It was only in 1887 that the Otinovci parish priest, Vladimir Dolić, discovered the remains of the church of the Holy Trinity.

A little later, Ph. Ballif drew attention to Roman monuments found here during the excavation of the foundations; these were acquired by the National Museum in Sarajevo.

The mediaeval trade route that linked Split with the Vrbas valley, running through Kupres, ran along much the same trajectory as the present-day road and the Roman road (Stražanj-Malovani-Kupres plain-Kupres-Velika Vrata).

The Venetian diplomat Catarin Zeno refers to Kupres as kastel Cuprus in his 1550 travel chronicle.

During the Ottoman period, Kupres was a fortified town with three towers (bastions) (Š. Bešlagić, 1954, 158).

According to H. Kreševljaković (Stari bosanski gradovi [Old Bosnian Towns], 1953, 40-41), Kupres was a small town that came into being in the mid 17th century, was fortified in the 18th century, and abandoned in 1840.

2. Description of the property

Architecture

The early Christian complex, a basilica with narthex and ancillary premises built onto their south facade, covered an area of about 330 m². The long axis of the basilica runs north-west/south-east. To accommodate the steep site, the floors of the south rooms are about 1.50 to 1.60 m lower than those of the basilica and narthex. To compensate for the difference in level and provide direct access from one to the other, there must have been a doorway with steps leading to it, the position of which could not be determined on the basis of the remains found. Similar, rather lesser differences in height between the floors of different areas are also to be seen at the early Christian sites of Cim near Mostar and Zenica-Bilimišće (Lj. Gudelj, 2000, 100).

The footings are of quarry stone, roughly finished, and large pebbles taken from the beds of the surrounding brooks, bonded with large quantities of mortar composed of a mix of lime and fine sand. No regular-shaped blocks were found on the site, and nor were any doorsteps or window sills, or elements of architectural decoration. The absence of tegulae and the quantity of a considerable layer of ash in the ruins of the church might suggest that it originally had a wooden roof.

Basilica A, on the north side of the complex, was a hall (in the archaic meaning of the word), rectangular in plan, measuring 13.1 x 10.3 m on the outside. It had a small semicircular apse at the east end, with its apex along the long axis of the basilica, 4.2 m wide and 3.2 m deep.  Measured from the outside wall of the apse to the frontispiece, the building was 16.50 m long; including the narthex at the west end, its overall length was 21.50 m. The walls are about 70 cm thick.

In the view of the first person to excavate the site, Fr. Vladimir Dolić, rows of pillars divided the interior of the church into a wide central nave and two side aisles of equal width. This cannot be right, since the measurements given (14.5 x 24.5 m) roughly match the size of the entire complex, which includes not only the basilica but also the south annexes, which are of the same size as the side aisles of the basilica. No fragments of columns, bases or imposts were found during early excavations.  Contrary to the original view, the modest size of the basilica suggests a single nave with a gabled roof.

Since the walls are in ruins down to or even below floor level, the number, position and width of the doors is not known. Small areas of original flooring have survived in the north-west quarter and the middle of the nave. Laid over a layer of fine-grade rubble, the plaster flooring adhered to the inner wall faces of the bsilica. The presbytery was at a higher level than the rest of the nave.

The simple ground plan and dimensions associate the Otinovci basilica with the fairly large group of early Christian churches built to the usual basilica plan in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two basilicas discovered in Zenica-Bilimišće, as well as the churches in Breza-Hedum, Homolje near Kiseljak and Rešetarica near Buško blato, are of similar size. Located in a prominent position, the Otinovci complex was appropriate in size to the needs and capacities of the inhabitants of a small settlement, in an area presumed to be the site of the Ad Maricem Roman waystation (I. Bojanovski, 1974, 173).

Narthex of the basilica

The long sides of the narthex, B, which is rectangular in plan and 5 metres in width, ran north-south. Apart from the east wall, which is common to the narthex and basilica, the foundations of the south and the south half of the west wall have survived; the rest of the west wall foundations and those of the north wall have been completely destroyed. The frontispiece was erected over the remains of an older building, on the foundations of a wall running at right angles eastward. The fact that this was an earlier building is indicated by the different structure of the mortar, and in particular by the remains of a solid floor, which has an abrupt drop in height and adheres to the plastered face of its foundations. Earlier and recent excavations caused serious damage to this part of the building, as a result of which it is impossible to say exactly when this was carried out.

South annexes

Ancillary premises were later built onto the basilica and narthex, as a single, harmoniously conceived whole. Earlier excavations, demolitions and the construction of a country road have caused serious damage to this part of the complex, with part of the walls completely destroyed. All that can be made out where the south wall would have been is the foundation trench, hollowed out into the bedrock, which was filled in with earth after the stone was deliberately removed. It was about 50 cm thick, of rustic construction, with plastered facades, as were the surviving footings of the north wall of room D. The south-western room, C, measuring 470 x 425 cm, was of the same width as the northern narthex of the basilica. A small area of flooring survived in the north-east corner of this room, cracked in several places, sunken in the middle and sloping upwards to the previously plastered inside walls. Several finely worked pieces of mudstone had been built into this flooring, including antique spolia with relief decoration. The same floor covered the vault of the crypt, in which interments were made from the outside, through an opening in the south wall of the room. The vault and door of the crypt were destroyed during the first excavations, while the damage to the floor outside G-1, in the northern narthex of the basilica, suggests that it was a deliberate intervention at the time interments were still being carried out, to provide easier access to the low-set door.

The baptistery, D, was built along the entire length of the nave, with a small anteroom, d.  These were separated in the floor by a beam, which was later destroyed by fire, leaving a channel full of ash with the imprint of the wood on the side walls.

In the middle of the quite spacious baptistery, D, at the point of intersection of lines drawn diagonally across it, the concave base of a circular baptismal font with a diameter of 70 cm survived, widening on uprights from the base towards the destroyed rim, and set at or above floor level. The top of the font had been destroyed, so that its footprint is unknown, but the probable depth of 60 to 70 cm suggests it was of small capacity. The base and sides were covered by waterproof plaster of solid composition, the same as the flooring that surrounded it and which was laid at the same time. No channels were observed that could have served to drain away or fill the font with water, which could easily have been obtained from the sources of the two brooks that flow beside the complex.

It is hard to say what purpose was served by annex d, which measures 3.5 x 4 m. This did not have the same solid flooring as rooms C and D. The thick layer of ash by the north wall suggests that it had wooden pews, but the badly damaged stone base layer and remains of solid flooring laid at two levels are insufficient to determine what kind of construction this was. The partly preserved skeleton found in situ constitutes the remains of a burial that preceded the last building works within the room.

Masonry crypts

Four underground crypt chambers were destroyed long ago, and the bones of several skeletons were scattered about or laid in ossuary channels. Near them, the remains of a small masonry tomb by the south side of the apse of the basilica were uncovered, along with half the skeleton of an adult, found in situ below floor level in annex d. There were no grave goods among the displaced remains of several adults that might enable one to give an approximate date for their burial.  Located below the floors of the rooms and the churchyard as it was then, the crypt chambers were built of cut limestone blocks with mortar as binder, covering the base and sides of the ossuary. By comparison with the majority of late-antique tombs excavated in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Đ. Basler, 1960, 65; V. Paškvalin, 1970), we find here a specific way of forming the arched vaults; instead of resting on side walls, the curve of the vault rises straight from the ground to the crown. They were built of cut limestone and tufa blocks with mortar as binder. Near the top of the surviving head walls, damage caused by the prop holding up the wooden shuttering used during their construction can be observed. The size of the ossuary suggests that it was designed for several burials, with the original deceased laid at the sides on plastered plinths raised at the head end.

The two crypts in the south-western corners of the narthex of the basilica and the south annex were oriented north-south. They were built below the level of the floor, which covered them over. They were about one metre high from floor to vault, and burials were effected in both from the south, through a door set into the foundation walls.

The base of crypt G-1, measuring 220 x 200 cm, was divided by an ossuary channel (150 x 30 x 70 cm in size) with two pillars to the south. The more southerly vault, G-2, measuring 230 x 200 cm, had an ossuary 180 cm long, 30 cm wide and 100 cm deep.

Crypts G-4 and G-6, to the south-east of the complex, were built against the outside of the footings of the east wall of the baptistery. They are separated by a partition which also forms the support for their stone vaults. The northerly, larger crypt, G-4, which is trapezoid in plan, was 300-350 cm long and 230-250 cm wide, lying roughly north-south. At the base is an L-shaped ossuary channel with a depth of 50 cm. The barrel vault of the crypt rose in a curve straight from the floor and abutted onto the north and south walls, which followed the curve of the vault.

The southerly crypt, G-6, measuring 200 x 180 cm, lay west-east, and was formerly vaulted in the same manner, plastered on the inside, and with an ossuary in the middle, 30 cm wide and 50 cm deep.

Tomb G-3 was discovered in the earth piled up below floor level in room d. The leg bones and left forearm of the deceased were found in situ, but the rest of the skeleton and the skull had been removed earlier.

Tomb G-5 was located between vaulted crypt G-4 and the apse of the basilica. A long rectangle in plan, it lay west-east. It was built of stone with mortar binder, with an earth base, and was covered by flat slabs of mudstone which had been removed earlier.

Stone fragments

No pottery, metal artefacts or glass of archaeological interest has been found on the area already excavated.

Fragments of flat slabs of cut mudstone were not found in their original positions. From the way they were worked, they could have been used for covering tombs or for paving floors.

The same material was used to make a small group of finds decorated with relief motifs, recognizable fragments of Roman tombstones and early Christian stone furnishings.

The edge of a monument of unidentified use was decorate with a plant motif, pairs of stylized leaves, a very common decoration on stelae or stone urns in antiquity (Lj. Gudelj, 2000, 109, 110). Also found were the corner of a stela with the remains of a border decorated with stylized floral tendrils and vine leaves; a relief featuring a monstrance with a wide foot; a circular solea decorated with radiating rays and a cross, made of antique spolia to judge from the traces of moulding on the back of the stone; four fragments decorated with a stylized plant motif formed using a chisel and drill, belonging to various early Christian era capitals; and the top corner of an abacus in the form of a volute.

The rustic stonemasonry indicates a late antique origin for a fragment that was worked in deep relief on the front, consisting of a bird's tail(2).

Mediaeval church of the Holy Trinity

It was noted that the first investigations of the site would have produced better results if conducted with expert assistance (Lj. Gudelj, 2000, 110). Only some of the flawed conclusions have been rectified, while many questions, including those of the possible existence of a late mediaeval building endowed by the kings of Bosnia on this site, remain unanswered.

Vladimir Dolić equated the plan of the church of the Holy Trinity with that of the early Christian basilica, which was later accepted on several occasions. As can be seen, the measurements given, of 24.5 x 14.5 m, roughly correspond to the overall dimensions of the early Christian complex of the basilica with narthex to the west and ancillary rooms to the south.  It is uncertain whether the remains of the late mediaeval basilica were completely destroyed by the first excavations and preparation of the site for the erection of the church of St John, or whether this was merely an erroneous assumption by the first person to excavate the site. During revisionary excavations, no movable artefacts were discovered that might corroborate this, and it would therefore be worth conducted a thorough examination in the search for the proper solution. In any event, the first step to this end would be to study the surrounding area, and in particular the arable fields to the south.

Church of St John

Half the width of the church of St John was to the north of the older building. Before it was built, part of the hillside was dug out, and the spoil used to create a larger level area for the churchyard, with a high retaining wall to the side of the country road.  During these works the remains of the early Christian buildings were partly destroyed and earthed over.

In building the frontispiece onto the west wall of the narthex, and the rectangular apse onto that of the semicircular apse, the 19th century builders retained the orientation of the older buildings, except in width. Uniting the former basilica and narthex, they built a more spacious church with an open-plan interior, which was restored on several occasions prior to its destruction in 1994. The most important interventions were the addition of a bell tower at the entrance, a sacristy by the north side of the rectangular niche, and a wooden choir gallery of which the bearing posts were set in line with the foundations of the frontispiece of the early Christian basilica.

3. Legal status to date

The site of Otinovci near Kupres (basilica) is listed as a site that has been investigated, on p. 41 of the Regional Plan for BiH, stage B, valorization of natural, cultural and historical properties, Sarajevo, 1980.

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

In 1887 the parish priest of Otinovci, Fr. Vladimir Dolić, excavated the ruins of the older buildings on the prominent ridge above the village (V. Dolić, 1888, 10-12, idem 1888b, 14).  Recognizing the remains of an early Christian basilica and late mediaeval church, he decided to build a new church on the arable land of Lanišća, at a place that has been called Crkvina (from crkva, a church) ever since.

The parish church of St John was dynamited in 1994. After the war, the ruble was removed by bulldozer, and before plans were made to build a new church, archaeological excavations were conducted to uncover the remains of older buildings. Trenches were dug by students from Italy and Belgium, with no significant results. During excavations in the summer of 1998, the surviving remains of the plastered floor of the early Christian rooms within the walls and by the foundations were inadvertently damaged.

Revisionary excavations were conducted by a team from the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments of Split from 21 July to 20 September 1999, led by archaeologist Lj. Gudelj. By digging down to bedrock the outer limit of the archaeological site was determined inside and to the north and east outside the building, but not to the west or in the arable fields to the south, which also conceal remains of the past, according to local residents. After the condition of the site had been documented, the country road was re-laid, and the remains of the buildings, conserved and partly restored, were laid out as an open-air archaeological park.

On completion of the excavations and documentation of its condition, work began on the conservation of the architectural remains and on laying-out the site. The early Christian foundations and those of the recently destroyed church have been restored in part, levelled and raised slightly above floor level. This work was carried out in line with the known elements and adjusted to the condition on the ground. In order to distinguish them from the older walls, those of the recently destroyed church were built up to about 20 centimetres above those of the early Christian church. Stone from the ruins of St John's was used for their conservation and part restoration. The stone blocks were laid in lime mortar composed of sand and slaked lime with a small admixture of cement, which should give them extra solidity during the harsh Kupres winters.

The two crypts in the narthex of the church and baptistery have been re-vaulted. To make this easier, rectangular openings were made, even though they were originally arch-vaulted. It was impossible to reconstruct the two tombs to the south-east of the complex, nor to build up the foundations of the south and east walls of the baptistery to its former floor level, since this would have cut across the country road. The remains of the cobble paving, the plastered floors and the baptismal font were covered with soil to protect them from further deterioration, and the fragments of furnishings are being housed in the parish house until a more appropriate solution can be found.

 5. Current condition of the property

During an on-site inspection of the property on 27 August 2007 the following was ascertained:

The conserved archaeological remains are in good condition and the site is neat and tidy.   

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

D.Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)

D.ii. evidence of historical change

E.Symbolic value

E.i. ontological value

E.ii. religious value

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: 

1953.    Basler, Đuro, „Kupres“, Jnl of the National Museum n. s. 8, Sarajevo, 1953.

1954.    Bešlagić, Šefik, Kupres, Srednjevjekovni nadgrobni spomenici (Kupres, Mediaeval Tombstones), Sarajevo, 1954.

1999.    Petrinec, Maja, Prapovijesno razdoblje (The Prehistoric Age), Archaeological Collection of the Franciscan Museum in Livno, 21-25, 1999.

2000.    Gudelj, Ljubomir, Ranokršćanski kompleks u Otinovcima na Kupreškoj visoravni (The Early Christian Complex in Otinovci on the Kupres Plateau), Starohrvatska prosvjeta, III serija,vol. 27, 2000 

(1) This artefact is housed in the Gorica Francisan museum and gallery in Livno

(2) The stone fragments have not been inventoried, and are in the parish house in Kupres