HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Radimlja ( sr-cyr, Радимља) is a
stećak Stećak (, ) or Stećci in plural form (, ) is the name for monumental medieval tombstones, that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. An estimated 60,000 are found within the bo ...
necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...
located near
Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. It is located in Vidovo polje, 3 km west of
Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...
, on the Čapljina-Stolac road. The Radimlja necropolis is one of the most valuable monuments of the mediaeval period in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
. It is protected by UNESCO and designated as a part of the World Heritage List.


History

The majority of its stećak tombstones date from the 1480s through the 16th century, as evidenced by the epitaph on one of the tombstones. This was the period when the family Miloradović-Stjepanović from genus Hrabren lived in the settlement located on near hill Ošanići. At the time the location was known as ''Batnoge'', and the creation of the necropolis coincides with the rise of this noble family. Miloradović-Stjepanović family from the genus Hrabren were of the Orthodox faith. The founder was Milorad, who as a Vlach chieftain (cattlemen and warriors organization) lived in the second half of the 14th century. In 1416 his son Stipan is mentioned, in appeal by Ragusa due to fighting along with Petar Pavlović against
Sandalj Hranić Sandalj Hranić Kosača ( cyrl, Сандаљ Хранић Косача; 1370 – 15 March 1435) was the most powerful Bosnian nobleman whose primary possessions consisted of land areas between Adriatic coast, the Neretva and the Drina rive ...
and the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
. He had three sons: Petar Stjepanović was first mentioned in 1473 and last time in 1486. Radoja Stjepanović died between 1475-1477. Vukić Stjepanović was mentioned for last time in 1496. They were titled as ''voivodes'' and ''knezes'', commanded Vlach military institution and held land between Stolac and Mostar. They successfully merged into the Ottoman political and social system. The ''katun'' formation by Petar and Vukić Hrabren was part of the Vlach group Donji Vlasi (Lower Vlachs) of
nahiye A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
Blagaj - and their ''katun'' was the largest with 127 houses and 16 unmarried persons out of 37 katuns, 1383 houses and 177 unmarried persons. At the time Petar Stjepanovič-Hrabren along knezes Vukac, Pavko, Stipan and Radivoj Popratović was included in the order of Ragucan citizens, as well was Ottoman timariot. By 1505, when ''voivode'' Radosav Hrabren was buried, the necropolis expansion began to end due to acceptance of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, the disintegration of tribal organization, and social events. Those members of Miloradović-Stjepanović who remained in
Žitomislić The Žitomislić Monastery ( sr, Манастир Житомислић, Manastir Žitomislić, ) is а Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Annunciation and located near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. History Building In 1566 the Ottoma ...
have taken collective surname Ljoljić and Kuzman, while those who converted to Islam have taken surname Opijač and today live in Dubrava near Stolac. From the Dubrava branch, Jeronim Miloradović-Hrabren became an Austrian officer in the 18th century. Other branches migrated to Russia and became famous nobility of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, between circa 15th-19th centuries, such as Grigorije Miloradović-Hrabren who became a
count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
and a Russian colonel, while
Mikhail Miloradovich Count Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich (russian: Граф Михаи́л Андре́евич Милора́дович, sh-Cyrl, Гроф Михаил Андрејевић Милорадовић ''Grof Mihail Andrejević Miloradović''; – ...
was prominent Russian general during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
.


Characteristics

The necropolis includes 133 ''stećci''. When the Čapljina-Stolac road was built during the
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
period in 1882, it ran through the necropolis and destroyed at least 15-20 tombstones. Out of nine types of ''stećci'', 36 slabs, 1 slab with pedestal, 27 chests, 24 chests with pedestal, 4 tall chests, 5 tall chests with pedestal, 2 sarcophagi (i.e. ridge/gable), 31 sarcophagi with pedestal, and 3 of cruciform. The core of the necropolis was built at the end of the 14th century, when three big chests were made, of which two are richly decorated with motifs in ''
bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
''. The next phase included simple chests (''sanduk'') and ridges (''sljemenaci'') with flower crosses on the front and borders acanthus leaves. The last phase with circa 20 separate ''stećci'' of high quality and diverse forms indicates that the site was the cemetery of the Miloradović-Stjepanović family, attested in epitaphs on five tombstones. Due to several Illyrian burial mounds near the necropolis, it seems the location was used from earlier times as a resting place for the dead, and the population of Batnoge continued this ancient tradition. During the 1960s excavation, to a depth of 120–135 cm revealed nine graves, indicating that up to 50 specimens were destroyed. Analysis of the bodies showed the people were tall with well-developed
thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the c ...
es.


Decoration

Nearly half (63) were decorated, in bas relief, engraving or a combination. The finest decorated examples are tall chests with pedestal and sarcophagus with pedestal, saved for the social elite. Ornaments include curved lines with trefoil, plastic zigzag, radial circle, rosette, depiction of plastic circles, cluster, rod shaped as letter T, spiral curves. The depiction of arrow and bow on "voivode" stećci previously was related to Miloradović-Stjepanović military function. Figural depictions can be divided to those of male figures with raised right hand (on so-called ''voivode'' ''stećci'' by Miloradović-Stjepanović, or ''stećci'' that symbolize
Vitus Vitus is a Latin given name meaning lively and may refer to: *Saint Vitus (c. 290 – c. 303), a Christian martyr * Vitus of Hungary (died 1297), beatified friar * Vitus (bicycles), a French bicycle manufacturer * ''Vitus'' (film), a 2006 Swiss fi ...
), and scenes of hunting, posthumous
kolo Kolo may refer to: Places Poland *Koło *Koło, Łódź Voivodeship * Koło, Lublin Voivodeship * Koło, Lubusz Voivodeship Other places * Kolo, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Kolo, Central African Republic * Kolo (Tanzanian ward), Kondoa district, Dod ...
and chivalric tournaments with basic artistic and religious interweaving of pagan and Christian ideas. The inscriptions mention Stipan Miloradović, and his sons Radoja and Petar, three other inhabitants of ''Batnoge'', and three stonemasons: Miogost, Volašin Vogačić, Ratko Brativo(n)ić. The ''stećci'' were made of
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
cut from Ošanići hill, trimmed and then moved to the necropolis for final work and ornamentation.


Inscriptions

I: ''A se kami na Vukcu na Pet viču. A se pisa Bolašin Bogačić''. II: ''A Vlač Vlahov �, sječe kmi Ratko Brativo č/Brativo evč''. III: ''Az rab b �i Radoje Vuković, sinovac vojevode Petra''. IV: ''Sije leži dobri Radoje, sin vojevode Stipana, n svoj baštini na Batnogah. Si bilig postavi na me brat moj vojevoda Petar''. V: ''A se leži Stjepan. A činio ka iMiogost kovač''.


Gallery

File:Radmilja 2.jpg, Sign at the entrance to Radimlja File:13st_Radimlja.jpg File:Bosniangraves bosniska gravar februari 2007 stecak stecci5.jpg File:Radmilja 3.jpg File:Radimlja necropolis near Stolac.JPG File:Radimlja, Nekropola.JPG File:Bosniangraves bosniska gravar februari 2007 stecak stecci3.jpg File:Bosniangraves bosniska gravar februari 2007 stecak stecci2.jpg


References


Sources

* {{coord, 43, 5, 32, N, 17, 55, 27, E, display=title Architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina culture National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina Stolac Miloradović noble family Burial sites of Bosnian noble families Vlachs in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina