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Necropolis with stećak tombstones, nišans and crosses in the Gornja (Upper) Bradina, the historic site

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Status of monument -> National monument

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 6 to 9 September 2011 the Commission adopted a

 

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

The historic site of the necropolis with stećak, nišan and  cruciform gravestones in Gornja Bradina, Municipality Konjic, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument). 

The National Monument consists of the necropolis with 57 stećak tombstones, 11 nišan gravestones and 14 cruciform gravestones.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1360/1, Land Register entry no. 576, c.p. no. 1416, Land Register entry no. 269, c.p. no. 1418 and 1419, Land Register entry no. 270, c.p. no. 1421, Land Register entry no. 271, and c.p. no. 1422, Land Register entry no. 236, cadastral municipality Bradina, Municipality Konjic, 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 providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.

The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and erecting notice boards 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 on the site defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:

-          all works are prohibited other than investigative and conservation-restoration works, routine maintenance works, and works designed for the presentation of the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);

-          the site of the monument shall be open and accessible to the public, and may be used for educational and cultural purposes;

-          works on the infrastructure are prohibited except with the approval of the relevant ministry and subject to the expert opinion of the heritage protection authority;

-          new burials are permitted solely in the Orthodox cemetery of recent date, at least 3 metres from the stećak tombstones;

-          the necropolis may be refurbished and damage made good subject to first drawing up a repair, restoration and conservation plan, with the approval of the relevant ministry and under the supervision of the heritage protection authority;

-          lichen and moss may not be removed from the stećak, nišan and cruciform tombstones;

-          by way of exception to the preceding paragraph, lichen and moss may be removed from the stećak, nišan and cruciform tombstones where necessary in order to study their epigraphic or decorative elements, subject to a preliminary study and with the approval of the relevant ministry. The study shall be based on biological, chemical, physical and other analyses found by a conservator to be necessary, and shall include appropriate conservation measures and an assessment of the impact of cleaning methods on the stone;

-          the section of the forest road that is endangering stećak no. 37 shall be relocated;

-          broken and damaged nišan tombstones shall be repaired and restored;

-          the zone is a potential archaeological site, and in consequence investigative works must be conducted in the presence of an archaeologist;

-          the dumping of waste is prohibited.

 

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

-          a geodetic survey of the current condition of the site;

-          drawing up a plan for the repair, restoration, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.

           

The Government of the Federation shall be responsible for ensuring that emergency protection measures are implemented. The programme of emergency protection measures shall cover:

-          conducting a preliminary survey of the condition of the site to identify the type and extent of risk and the damage to the monuments;

-          archaeological investigations subject to a programme drawn up in advance;

-          making good damage to the gravestones and setting fallen gravestones upright.

 

IV

 

All movable artefacts found during the course of the archaeological survey shall be deposited in the nearest museum able to provide the necessary personnel, material and technical conditions or in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, processed, and suitably presented.      

All movable and immovable archaeological material found during the course of the archaeological investigations shall be professionally processed.

Upon completion of the archaeological works the archaeologist leading the investigations shall submit a report to the Commission and to the institution that conducted the investigations.

The archaeologist leading the investigations must have access to all the movable and immovable archaeological material found during the course of the investigations and until his/her report is completed, for a period not exceeding three years.

All immovable finds shall be conserved in situ as the archaeological investigations proceed, and the movable archaeological material shall be conserved and placed for safe keeping in a suitable storage facility.

Upon receipt of a report on the investigations conducted, the Commission shall identify which movable artefacts shall be subject to protection measures to be determined by the Commission.

The removal of the movable artefacts referred to in para. 1 above from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 7 of this Clause, if the leader of the investigations determines that a given artefact must be processed abroad, and provides evidence to that effect to the Commission, the Commission may permit the temporary removal of the artefact from the country subject to detailed conditions for its export, treatment while out of the country and return to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

V

 

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

 

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 thereof.

 

VII

 

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 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.kons.gov.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 day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.

 

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

 

No: 05.2-2.3-77/11-18

6 September 2011

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 22 April 2009 the Commission to Preserve National Monuments received a petition from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality to designate the necropolis of stećak tombstones in the hamlet of Gornja Bradina, Bradina, as a National Monument.

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.

 

Statement of Significance

The National Monument attests to the continuity of burials on the protected site, as evidenced by the presence in the necropolis of stećaks, Muslim tombstones in the form of nišans, and Orthodox Christian cruciform tombstones. The particular significance of the property is its historical and documentary clarity and the diversity of the typological and the chronological and stylistic features of the tombstones.

Their principal aesthetic quality lies in their haut-relief and reverse relief decorations. Of the total of 82 tombstones (57 stećaks, 11 nišans and 14 cruciform gravestones), four of the stećaks – one chest-shaped and three gabled – and all fourteen cruciform gravestones are decorated. The motifs on the stećaks are incised lines indicating a double grave, crescent moon, stylized fleur-de-lis and recessed frames, while those on the cruciform gravestones are “half-apples” (hemispheres), crosses in relief and reverse relief, a bird, a crescent moon and stars.

 

II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE

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

-          details of the current condition and use of the property, including a description, architectural survey and photographs,

-          an inspection of the current condition of the property,

-          a copy of the cadastral plan,

-          a copy of the Land Register entry,

-          historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.

 

Pursuant to Article V para. 2 of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 37 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, before rendering a final decision designating a property as a national monument, the Commission is required to provide the owner of the proposed monument, the person submitting the petition, the institutions responsible for heritage, professional and academic institutions, experts and scholars, as well as other interested parties, to express their views. Accordingly, the Commission sent a letter ref. 05.2-35.2-8/11-55 dated 15 April 2011 requesting documentation and views on the designation as a national monument of the necropolis with stećak, nišan and cruciform tombstones in Gornja Bradina, Konjic Municipality, to Konjic Municipality (Mayor), department of urbanism and cadastral affairs, the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning and the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport.

In response, the Commission has received the following documentation:

-          letter ref. 09-42-3-804/09 of 17 April 2009 from the Department of Administrative, Social and Inspection Affairs, Konjic Municipality, enclosing a petition, cadastral details for c.p. 1418 and 1419 and Land Register entry no. 270, c.m. Bradina, Konjic;

-          letter ref. 09-42-3-804/09 of 27 October 2009 from the Department of Administrative, Social and Inspection Affairs, Konjic Municipality, enclosing 40 photographs of the necropolis with stećaks in Gornja Bradina, Konjic;

-          letter ref. 09-42-3-804/09 of 15 June 2011 from the Department of Administrative, Social and Inspection Affairs, Konjic Municipality, supplying cadastral details for c.p.1360/1, 1416, 1421 and 1422, and Land Register entries 576, 269, 271 and 235, c.m. Bradina, Konjic;

-          letter ref. 07-40-4-1261-1/11 of 4 May 2011 from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport supplying details of previous protection of sites in the hamlet of Velika, Repovci, Konjic Municipality;

-          the views of the owners of the plots had not been received at the time this Decision was rendered.

 

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

 

1. Details of the property

Location

Bradina is a village located by the Konjic to Sarajevo road, about 11 km as the crow flies northeast of Konjic Municipality [sic – presumably meaning Konjic town: Trans.]. The site with the stećak, nišan and cruciform gravestones is in the hamlet of Gornja Bradina, at an altitude of 805 m, 43º 44' 19.17" N and 18º 02' 10.36" E.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1360/1, Land Register entry no. 576, c.p. no. 1416, Land Register entry no. 269, c.p. no. 1418 and 1419, Land Register entry no. 270, c.p. no. 1421, Land Register entry no. 271, and c.p. no. 1422, Land Register entry no. 236, cadastral municipality Bradina, Municipality Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Plot no. 1360/1 is the property of Bradina local ward, no. 1416 is the property of Kuljanin (Risto) Marko, nos. 1418 and 1419 are the property of Kuljanin (Risto) Milinko, no. 1421 is the property of Kuljanin (Nedeljko) Zoran, and no. 1422 is the property of Kuljanin (Dušan) Dušan and Vaso.

Historical background

In the early mediaeval period, the wider Konjic region consisted of the Neretva župa (county), part of the Zagorja župa (the area around Bjelimići) and part of the Kom župa (the area around Glavatičevo). The earliest reference to the Neretva župa is in the Chronicles of the Doclean priest(1). It lay between the župas of Rama and Kom, and according to the Chronicles, the Podgorje district also belonged to it. By the mid 11th century the župa had presumably been incorporated into the Bosnian state. From then on until ban (governor) Tvrtko came to power in 1353, it enjoyed special status within the Bosnian state(2). In the late Middle Ages the area from the River Rakitnica from its source in the east to the River Trešanica (a right-hand tributary of the River Neretva, rising below Mts. Ivan and Lisine) in the west belonged to the administrative district of Črešnjevo in the Neretva župa. In the 15th century the Neretva župa was split into its Bosnian and Herzegovinian halves, with the River Neretva forming the boundary. The Bosnian half extended to the right bank of the Neretva and belonged to the Crown lands, while the Herzegovina half belonged to the areas on the left bank of the River Neretva ruled by the Kosača overlords. The centre of the administrative district was the town of Črešnjevo, which reached its apogee in the 15th century, with a separate township below the walls (in the area that is now Konjic) and a customs post on the busy road from the Neretva valley. The entire area, including the Črešnjevo župa, probably belonged to the feudal lands of the Bosnian kings, making it Crown land(3).

The Ottomans occupied the area up to the right bank of the Neretva in 1463, and by 1468/9 the nahija of Črešnjevo already features in the census; there is no further reference to it in the next census, in 1477(4).

Information on Konjic is to be found both in the 1477 census and that of 1537. By the 15th century Konjic had already developed into a kasaba, known as Neretva, divided by the eponymous river between two sanjaks. Konjic was a traffic hub and staging post on the Istanbul dromos (road) which ran along the Neretva valley to the sea. The Ottoman authorities built a new settlement on the left bank of the Neretva, to which they granted the status of a kasaba, naming it Belgradcik. In 1585 it had three Muslim mahalas and one non-Muslim(5).

In 1633 there is reference to the independent kadiluk of Belgradcik (Lesser Biograd), of which the centre was in Konjic, itself known as Belgradcik from then on(6).  

The travel chronicler Evliya Çelebi passed through Konjic in the mid 18th century, relating that it had six mahalas on the two banks of the Neretva, eight mosques, two medreses, two dervish tekkes, three mektebs, a small hammam and two hostels (hans, caravanserais), one of which was in the čaršija. He also related that a large wooden bridge spanned the river from bank to bank(7). 

In 1833 the two nahijas grained the status of kaza [area under the jurisdiction of a cadi] or county, known as Neretva and Konjice (Konjiće). When the Bosnian vilayet was established in 1865 they were merged into a single kaza known as “Sa Neretvom Konjice” (Mea Neretva Konjiće), shortened in 1867 to Konjiće. The two kasabas were also merged into one, known too as Konjiće. Thus they remained until the introduction of Austro-Hungarian rule in 1878. The Austro-Hungarian authorities immediately reclassified the Konjiće kaza as a kotar by the name of Konjica, while the kasaba of Konjiće became a town, also called Konjica(8).

 

2. Description of the property

The necropolis with stećak, nišan and cruciform tombstones in Gornji Bradina is at an altitude of 805 m, at 43º 44' 19.17" N, 18º 02' 10.36" E.

            The stećaks belong to the type of recumbent monolith and are of two kinds: chest-shaped and gabled (sarcophagus-like). The southern part of the necropolis contains some graves that stand out on account of their finer workmanship, size and elaborate decoration. Their principal aesthetic quality lies in their decorations in haut-relief and reverse relief. Four of the 57 tombstones (53 chest-shaped and four gabled) are decorated – one chest and three gabled(9).    The motifs consist of incised lines indicating a double grave, crescent moon, fleur-de-lis and recessed frames(10). The tombstones lie north-south, with the exception of three chests lying west-east and another four lying southwest-north-east. A group of stećaks (nos. 50 to 56) are within an Orthodox cemetery still in use, where there are old cruciform tombstones as well as recent graves(11). The tombstones were of good workmanship, but some are now quite badly damaged, sunken into the ground, covered with moss and overgrown with trees.

As elsewhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Christian or Muslim burial ground of later date is associated with the necropolis of stećaks. Here an old, abandoned Muslim burial ground, with eleven surviving gravestones, lies in the southern part of the mediaeval necropolis with stećaks. The burial ground is overgrown with trees, and the nišan tombstones have suffered from the ravages of time and decay or are lying on the ground. They are too badly damaged to reveal any signs of epitaphs. Pieces of the stone surrounds can be seen on most of the graves.

            To the east of the necropolis with stećak and nišan tombstones is an Orthodox cemetery. The entrance is on the west side of the burial ground, the southern part of which contains six stećaks and a large number of old stone cruciform tombstones; a church of recent date stands in the northern part. The epitaphs on the tombstones reveal that they date from the late 19th and early 20th century, but the fact that they are of limestone, together with their form and the motif of an “apple” in relief, reveals that the Orthodox cemetery dates back to the 18th century. Fourteen of the tombstones are covered by this Decision; the remainder could not be surveyed, being sunken and overgrown with grass. The stone tombstones are scattered unevenly around the cemetery.

The old cruciform tombstones are of limestone, and are of simple workmanship. Most are decorated with an “apple” or cross motif. Some bear a carved epitaph in Cyrillic, most of them rendered illegible by the lichen covering the tombstones. The epitaphs are very simple, giving basic details of the deceased: first name and surname, year of birth and death. Some also give the name of the person who erected the tombstone, and the year when this was done. There are no details of the stonemasons who made the tombstones.

Condition of the stećak tombstones

Stećak no. 1. – gabled, standing apart in the southern part of the necropolis, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 182x77x85 cm.

Stećak no. 2. – gabled, decorated, covered with moss and lichen, damaged roof pane and north end, lying north-south; the stećak measures 164x82x65 cm.

The south end bears a stylized fleur-de-lis, both sides are recessed and divided midway vertically by a relief band(12). The sides near the south end each bear a stylized fleur-de-lis.

Stećak no. 3. – chest, covered with moss and lichen, the south end in very poor condition, lying north-south; the stećak measures 152x88x36 cm.

Stećak no. 4. – gabled, decorated, sunken to roof-pane level, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 158x65x40 cm.

The south end bears a relief band echoing the wider roof panes and running down towards the lower part of the gravestone. A relief band runs from the gable down the centre of the end.

Stećak no. 5. – chest, sunken into the ground at the north end, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 200x116x30 cm.

Stećak no. 6. – chest, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 176x104x50 cm.

Stećak no. 7. – gabled, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, in poor condition as a result of the poorer quality stone and the ravages of time, lying north-south; the stećak measures 158x66x58 cm.

Stećak no. 8. – chest, decorated, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying west-east; the stećak measures 170x150x20 cm.

A line runs along the centre of the stećak lengthwise, indicating a double grave.

Stećak no. 9. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying west-east; the stećak measures 190x82x50 cm.

Stećak no. 10. – chest, partly buried, top damaged, covered with lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 158x80x10 cm.

Stećak no. 11. – chest, partly buried, covered with lichen, at risk from weeds and the roots of a tree to the north, lying north-south; the stećak measures 200x90x20 cm.

Stećak no. 12. – chest, partly buried, a piece broken off, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 180x78x40 cm.

Stećak no. 13. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 190x86x38 cm.

Stećak no. 14. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 196x100x30 cm.

Stećak no. 15. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 173x78x30 cm.

Stećak no. 16. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 205x93x50 cm.

Stećak no. 17. – chest, partly buried, covered with topsoil and leaves, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 180x86x30 cm.

Stećak no. 18. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 200x94x35 cm.

Stećak no. 19. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x95x40 cm.

Stećak no. 20. – chest, partly buried, with visible surface cracks, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 165x94x30 cm.

Stećak no. 21. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 226x133x72 cm.

Stećak no. 22. – chest, partly buried, covered with lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 165x92x22 cm.

Stećak no. 23. – chest, almost completely buried, with only the rectangular top visible at ground level, covered with moss and lichen, lying southwest-northeast; the stećak measures 150x60x15 cm.

Stećak no. 24. – chest, almost completely buried, with only the rectangular top visible at ground level, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 185x74x15 cm.

Stećak no. 25. – chest, almost completely buried, with only the rectangular top visible at ground level, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x60x15 cm.

Stećak no. 26. – chest, partly buried, tilted towards its west side, covered with lichen and moss, lying north-south; the stećak measures 140x56x27 cm.

Stećak no. 27. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x115x53 cm.

Stećak no. 28. – chest, partly buried, covered with lichen and moss, lying north-south; the stećak measures 198x114x28 cm.

Stećak no. 29. – chest, covered with lichen and moss, lying north-south; the stećak measures 197x76x58 cm.

Stećak no. 30. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 198x86x58 cm.

Stećak no. 31. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 185x70x10 cm.

Stećak no. 32. – chest, partly buried, with a crack along the top surface, covered with moss and lichen, lying southwest-northeast; the stećak measures 165x82x10 cm.

Stećak no. 33. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 190x90x55 cm.

Stećak no. 34. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x78x27 cm.

Stećak no. 35. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 160x88x24 cm.

Stećak no. 36. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 190x100x68 cm.

Stećak no. 37. – chest, decorated, partly buried and with a forest track passing over it, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 155x77x20 cm.

The rectangular top bears a crescent moon and “apple” in haut-relief.

Stećak no. 38. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 150x80x65 cm.

Stećak no. 39. – chest, partly buried, broken into three, covered with lichen and moss, lying north-south; the stećak measures 190x74x67 cm.

Stećak no. 40. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 165x80x64 cm.

Stećak no. 41. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 180x112x36 cm.

Stećak no. 42. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 156x74x48 cm.

Stećak no. 43. – chest, partly buried and covered with top soil, covered with moss and lichen, lying southwest-northeast; the stećak measures 180x77x10 cm.

Stećak no. 44. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying southwest-northeast; the stećak measures 155x70x10 cm.

Stećak no. 45. – chest, partly buried, at risk from the roots of a tree to the north, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 176x78x15 cm.

Stećak no. 46. – chest, sunken into the ground along its east side, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 150x56x10 cm.

Stećak no. 47. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x75x35 cm.

Stećak no. 48. – chest, partly buried, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 177x85x44 cm.

Stećak no. 49. – chest, partly buried, west side damaged, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 158x84x68 cm.

Stećak no. 50. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, damaged and in poor condition, overgrown with grass, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 130x94x77 cm.

Stećak no. 51. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried, at risk from the roots of a tree, overgrown with grass, covered with moss and lichen, lying west-east; the stećak measures 165x66x45 cm.

Stećak no. 52. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried and covered with soil in which grass is growing, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 170x94x27 cm.

Stećak no. 53. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried, at risk from the roots of a tree, overgrown with grass, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 185x88x24 cm.

Stećak no. 54. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried, completely overgrown with grass and covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 100x80x35 cm.

Stećak no. 55. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried, at risk from the roots of a tree, overgrown with grass, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 194x136x47 cm.

Stećak no. 56. – chest, standing within the Orthodox cemetery, partly buried, at risk from the roots of a tree, covered with moss and lichen, lying north-south; the stećak measures 163x101x98 cm.

Stećak no. 57. – gabled, decorated, standing in the southern part of the Orthodox cemetery, with soil piled up to roof-pane height and over the entire north end, covered with lichen and moss, lying north-south; the stećak measures 144x70x85 cm.

The west roof pane bears a crescent moon in haut-relief.

Muslim burial ground in Gornja Bradina near Konjic

An old Muslim burial ground and an Orthodox cemetery still in use are located right next to the necropolis with stećak gravestones in Gornja Bradina. The Muslim burial ground has not been in use for at least a hundred years(13), and is overgrown with trees; the nišan gravestones have suffered from the ravages of time and some are lying on the ground. They are too badly damaged for any traces of epitaphs to survive. Most of the graves have stone surrounds. The remains of eleven graves can be seen.

Condition of the nišan gravestones

Gravestone no. 1.

Sunken into the ground, measuring 17x15 cm in section with a height of 28 cm. The santrač (surround) measures 230x115 cm.

Gravestone no. 2.

Man’s nišan with pleated turban, lying on the ground, measuring 23x23x63 cm. The pieces of the stone santrač measure 230x135 cm.

Gravestone no. 3.

Only the remains of a stone santrač measuring 200x120 cm can be seen.

Gravestone no. 4.

Damaged nišan with a circumference of 60 cm and a height of 35 cm, on a grave surrounded by a santrač measuring 240x135 cm.

Gravestone no. 5.

Nišan with a woman’s cap, 22 cm wide and 43 cm high. The nišan has fallen over and is partly buried. The pieces of the stone santrač measure 250x120 cm.

Gravestone no. 6.

Damaged nišan measuring 20x15x25 cm.

Gravestone no. 7.

Grave with just a few pieces of stone santrač 130 cm in width.

Gravestone no. 8.

Damaged santrač measuring 200x118 cm marking a grave with a damaged nišan 26 cm in height and 16 cm in width.

Gravestone no. 9.

Man’s nišan with pleated turban, measuring 17x14x52 cm. The pieces of the stone santrač measure 250x145 cm.

Gravestone no. 10.

Man’s nišan with pleated turban, measuring 24x17x40 cm. The pieces of the stone santrač measure 295x186 cm.

Gravestone no. 11.

Damaged nišan measuring 17x17x37 cm.

Orthodox cemetery in Gornja Bradina near Konjic

The entrance to the cemetery is from the local macadam road that separates the necropolis with stećaks and the Muslim burial ground, on the west side of the cemetery, which is still in use. The southern part of the cemetery contains six stećaks and a large number of old cruciform gravestones. The epitaphs on the tombstones reveal that they date from the 19th and 20th centuries, but the fact that they are of limestone, together with their shape and the motif of an “apple” in relief, is evidence that the Orthodox cemetery dates back to the 18th century. This Decision covers fourteen of the tombstones: the rest could not be recorded, being partly buried and overgrown with grass. A small church of recent date stands in the northeastern part of the cemetery.

Stone gravestones

The stone gravestones, which are dispersed unevenly around the cemetery, are crosses of simple workmanship. made of limestone, most decorated with an “apple” or cross motif. Some have epitaphs in Cyrillic, most of them illegible on account of the biological deposits (lichen) on the gravestones. The epitaphs are very simple in content, giving basic details of the deceased – name and surname, year of birth and death. Some also bear the name of the person who erected the gravestone and the year when that was done. There are no indications of the masons who worked the gravestones.

Gravestone no. 1

South of the church, it is well preserved, consisting of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 120x90x27 (height x width x thickness). The cross ends in three relief “apples.”

Gravestone no. 2

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved, consisting of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 87x67x15 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”

Gravestone no. 3

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but leaning off true and overgrown with grass and low-growing plants. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 90x76x22 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”

Gravestone no. 4

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but leaning off true and overgrown with grass and low-growing plants. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 100x8x15 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”

Gravestone no. 5

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved, consisting of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 165x130x33 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.” The south side bears a carved epitaph in Cyrillic, consisting of ten lines reading: “Here lies in peace with God Marko Gligorević born 1848 died 1915. Gravestone from his brother Vero Gligorević.

Gravestone no. 6

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but lying on the ground and partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 86x55x20 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples,” with another in the centre.

Gravestone no. 7

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but lying on the ground and partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 113x103x24 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”

Gravestone no. 8

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved, consisting of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 210x110x30 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”  The south side bears a carved epitaph in Cyrillic, consisting of ten lines much of which is damaged and illegible. The deceased was born in 1848 and died in 1911.

Gravestone no. 9

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 67x57x24 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples,” with another in the centre.

Gravestone no. 10

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but buried up to the cross arms. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 57x50x20 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”  The south side bears a cross in relief.

Gravestone no. 11

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 70x70x20 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”  The north side bears a carved cross.

Gravestone no. 12

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 100x87x33 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.” The north side bears a cross in relief with another, smaller one carved into it.

Gravestone no. 13

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved but partly buried. It consists of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 67x52x18 cm. The cross ends in a single relief “apple” at the top of the cross. The north side bears a carved bird motif (?) and the south a carved cross.

Gravestone no. 14

South of the church and of gravestone no. 1, it is well preserved, consisting of a cross of simple workmanship measuring 140x104x24 cm. The cross ends in three relief “apples.”  The south side bears a crescent moon and star motif in relief.

 

3. Legal status to date

The Regional Plan for BiH to 2000 lists 69 sites of necropolises with stećak tombstones (3018 tombstones) in Konjic Municipality as Category III monuments, without precise identification(14). 

Letter ref. 07-40-4-1261-1/11 of 4 May 2011 from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport states that the property is listed as: Bradina necropolis of stećak tombstones, Bradina, Konjic. Mediaeval necropolis of stećak tombstones, late mediaeval

The necropolis is located above the village of Gornja Bradina, by the village Orthodox cemetery and Muslim burial ground at the southern end of the necropolis. 57 surviving stećak tombstones in two groups.

The property was not on the Register of Cultural Monuments of the Socialist Republic of  Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

4. Research and conservation-restoration works

Research works, consisting of recording and assembling data on the stećaks, were conducted by Pavao Anđelić and Šefik Bešlagić and published in 1975 and 1971.

No conservation-restoration works have been carried out.

 

5. Current condition of the property

The findings of on-site inspections conducted on 6 June and 15 August 2011 are as follows:

-          the stećaks, nišans and cruciform gravestones are at risk of rapid deterioration as a result of neglect,

-          some of the stećaks are chipped, damaged, overturned or partly or wholly sunken or buried,

-          the stećci are covered with plant organism (lichen and moss) to a greater or lesser extent,

-          the site of the necropolis with stećak and nišan tombstones is overgrown with tall-growing trees, and local residents say that it is used as to provide shade for sheep, a source of further damage to the stećaks,

-          the Orthodox cemetery has a barbed-wire fence, and is overgrown with grass and brambles.

 

6. Specific risks

-          deterioration of the site as a result of long-term neglect;

-          adverse effects of the elements;

-          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.i.       quality of workmanship

C.ii.      quality of materials

C.iii.      proportions

C.v.       value of details

D.         Clarity

D.i.       material evidence of a lesser known historical era

E.         Symbolic value

E.ii.      religious value

E.iii.      traditional value

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

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

G.iii.     use and function

G.iv.      tradition and techniques

G.v.      location and setting

 

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-          Ownership documentation

-         Letter ref. 09-42-3-804/09 of 17 April 2009 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality supplying a petition, cadastral details for c.p. 1418, 1419 and Land Register entry no. 270, c.m. Bradina, Konjic.

-         Letter ref. 09-42-3-804/10 of 27 October 2009 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality supplying 49 photographs of the necropolis with stećak gravestones in Gornja Bradina, Konjic.

-         Letter ref. 09-42-3-804/09 of 15 June 2011 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality supplying cadastral details for c.p. nos. 1360/1, 1416, 1421, 1422 and Land Register entries nos. 576, 269, 271 and 236, c.m. Bradina, Konjic.

-          Documentation on previous protection of the property

-         Letter ref. 07-40-4-1261-1/11 of 4 May 2011 from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport supplying details of previous protection of the site at Gornja Bradina, Municipality Konjic.

-          Photodocumentation

-         Photographs of the property taken on 6 June 2011 by historian Zijad Halilović using Canon EOS 450D digital camera.

-          Technical documentation

-         Technical drawings of the state of the property (plan of the necropolis, survey of the monuments), measured and surveyed on 6 June and 15 August 2011 by historian Zijad Halilović, freelance associate Hazim Numanagić and architect Nermina Katkić.

 

Bibliography

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

 

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

 

1975.    Anđelić, Pavao. Historijski spomenici Konjica i okoline (Historic Monuments of Konjic and its Environs), I. Konjic: Konjic Council, 1975.

 

1980.    Various authors. Prostorni plan Bosne i Hercegovine, faza b – valorizacija, prirodne i kulturno-historijske vrijednosti (Regional Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, phase B – valorization of natural and cultural assets). Sarajevo: Institute for Architecture, Urbanism and Spatial Planning of the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo and the Planning Authority for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, 1980.

 

1982.    Anđelić, Pavao. “Teritorijalno politička organizacija župe Neretve i njezino mjesto u širim političkim okvirima” (Territorial and political organization of the Neretva County and its place in the broader political context), In: Studije o teritorijalnopolitičkoj organizaciji srednjovjekovne Bosne (Studies on the territorial and political organization of mediaeval Bosnia). Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1982.

 

1982.    Bešlagić, Šefik. Stećci. Kultura i umjetnost (Stećak tombstones – culture and art). Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1982.

 

1982.    Šabanović, Hazim. Bosanski pašaluk (The Bosnian pashaluk). Sarajevo: 1982.

 

1996.    Çelebi, Evliya. Putopis (Travelogue). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1996.

 

1998.    Mujezinović, Mehmed. Islamska epigrafika Bosne i Hercegovine (Islamic epigraphics of BiH), bk. II and III, 3rd ed. Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, Cultural Heritage Series, 1998.

 

2003.    Mulić, Jusuf. “Dvije značajne godišnjice grada Konjica: 620 godina prvog zvaničnog pomena grada i 320 godina od izgradnje bivšeg kamenog mosta.” Mostar: Hercegovina, 15-16, periodical for the cultural and historical heritage, Archives of Herzegovina, 2003.

 

http://www.historiografija.hr/prikazi.php?id=235953

 

(1) On 3 March 2011 the History Department of the Faculty of the Humanities, University of Zagreb, held an international seminar, “The Chronicles of the Doclean Priest and the challenges of recent historiography,” at which Tibor Živković gave a paper entitled “Odnos hrvatske i latinske redakcije Gesta regnum Sclavorum,” analyzing both redactions of the Chronicles – the “Croatian redaction,” originally composed in Latin, and the “Latin redaction,” and their interrelationship. A narrative-based analysis of the two redactions revealed that both were composed by the same person, suggesting that the Croatian redaction was the original and the Latin redaction the final version of the Chronicles. The paper has not yet been published.  From http://www.historiografija.hr/prikazi.php?id=235953, accessed 17 October 2011.

(2) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, “Teritorijalnopolitička organizacija srednjovjekovne župe Neretve i njezino mjesto u širim političkim okvirima” in Studije o teritorijalnopolitičkoj organizaciji srednjovjekovne Bosne, Sarajevo, 1982, 108-110.

(3) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, op.cit, Sarajevo, 1983, 113; Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, Historijski spomenici Konjica i okoline, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 157, 305; Šabanović, Hazim, Bosanski pašaluk, Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1982, 126.

(4) Šabanović, Hazim, op.cit. Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1982, 116-126 and map on p. 128.; Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, ibid, Konjic, 1975, 308.

(5) Mulić, Jusuf, “Dvije značajne godišnjice grada Konjica: 620 godina prvog zvaničnog pomena grada i 320 godina od izgradnje bivšeg kamenog mosta,” Mostar: Hercegovina, 15-16, časopis za kulturno i historijsko naslijeđe, Archives of Herzegovina, 2003, 27.

(6) Mujezinović, Mehmed, Islamska epigrafika Bosne i Hercegovine, vols. 2, 3, Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, biblioteka „Kulturo naslijeđe", 1998, 422. 

(7) Çelebi says: “This kasaba is in the Herzegovina sanjak. It is the domain (hass) of its pasha. It is governed by the pasha’s voyvoda. It is a fine kadiluk ranking as a kadiluk of 150 akças. It has a spahis’ kahya, a Janissary serdar, ayans, leading citizens, a mayor, a harç commissioner, a market inspector and a customs officer... It has six mahalas, It has six hundred houses with stone-slate roofs. They are not large houses, but they have many vineyards. It has eight mosques, two medreses, two primary schools, two dervish tekkes, one hammam, two hans. There are seventy-five workshops there, mainly smithies, as the iron worked here is famous and strong. What is more, it has a unique sabre known as the Konjic sabre. It is so made as to bend when one strikes with it, and then straighten out again. They make curved swords, butchers’ knives, various weapons and tools, for there are iron mines in their mountains and an abundance of charcoal on their hills. Since the climate is alpine, figs, grapes, olives and pomegranates do not grow there as they do in Mostar. The people are wary of strangers, and most are artisans or traders.” Çelebi, Evliya, Putopis, Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1996, 477.

(8) Mulić, Jusuf, op.cit., Mostar: Hercegovina, 15-16, časopis za kulturno i historijsko naslijeđe, Archives of Herzegovina, 2003, 27.

(9) Š. Bešlagić and P. Anđelić report that there were six decorated stećaks – three chests and three gabled. (Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci, kataloško-topografski pregled, Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša 1971, 326; Anđelić, Pavao, Historijski spomenici Konjica i okoline, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 199).

(10) Both Bešlagić and Anđelić refer not only to these decorations but also to a rosette, circle, hemisphere (half “apple”) and a jousting scene.

(11) When he established the basic types (forms) of stećak, Šefik Bešlagić used the term krstača [here translated as “cruciform”) instead of krst (cross), in order to distinguish the shape of the stećak from the relief motif found on stećaks of various shapes. Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci – kultura i umjetnost, Sarajevo: IRO Veselin Masleša, 1982, 79.

(12) Translator's note: the original reads, in literal translation, “relief protuberance” which does not explain the shape of the relief; here and elsewhere I have tentatively translated it as “relief band.”

(13) The Muslim inhabitants of the village left it a century ago. Hazim Numanagić is of the view that the shape of the nišans is typical of the late 17th or early 18th century.  There are no recent nišans in the burial ground.

(14) Various authors, Prostorni plan Bosne i Hercegovine, faza b – valorizacija, prirodne i kulturno-historijske vrijednosti, Sarajevo: Institute for Architecture, Urbanism and Spatial Planning of the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo and the Planning Authority for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, 1980, 52.



Plan of the necropolisForest road on the east side of the necropolis Stećak tombstone no. 5Stećak tombstone no. 7
Stećak tombstones nos. 17 and 18Stećak tombstone no. 21Stećak tombstone no. 56Stećak tombstone no. 57
Stećak tombstone no. 1Stećak tombstone no. 2Nišan tombstone no. 2Nišan tombstone no. 2
Orthodox cemetaryCross no. 1 Cross no. 4Cross no. 14


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