[wzslider autoplay=”true”]Necropolis of stecak tombstones in Radimlja is the most famous site of these medieval tombstones in Herzegovina.
“Stecak tombstone is for me what it is not for others, what is on it and in it others did not brought nor they know to see. Yes it is a stone, but it is the word, land, and the sky, it is the matter, the spirit and the scream, it is the song, it is death, but it is also the life, it is past, but it is also the future.”
Mak Dizdar wrote this, a poet who dedicated his entire creativity to these stone witnesses of Bosnianhood.
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“For the first time in my life Stolac is along the way. Until now, it would always be at the end of the road, maybe even the end of the world. The fact that it is different now changes my view of the journey for a moment, and maybe even of life. We are passing through Radimlja – I am telling them: This is Radimlja, and they ask if this is the largest site of stecak tombstones – then through the carsija, about 50 paces from the park where is placed Mak’s bust, and then uphill, into the darkness, towards the exit from the city, so that down, under the road, stays house that family bought and arranged for it to be Mak’s house,” wrote Miljenko Jergovic about Radimlja and Stolac, as well as Mak Dizdar in one of his columns.
There is 133 tombstones in the necropolis, of which 63 are decorated. About 30% of them have the form of plates, 25% form of coffin and 25% of them the form of coffin with base (it means that tombstones are either one element or two specially shaped and connected elements). There are also three stone crosses, and one dominates the necropolis. Orientation of tombstones is east-west, and they are located in a field surrounded by rock massif, whose direction follows the direction of the Dinarides. At the very location, stecak tombstones are very densely arranged and located near the road. Necropolis at Radimlja is rich in decorated tombstones, 63 of them. The characteristic motifs of stecak tombstones of this necropolis are: architectural ornaments on all four sides of the tombstone, styled crosses, human and animal figures, vine, hunting motifs and weapon motifs. Trademark or sign of recognition of this necropolis is a male figure with a raised hand and a relatively large fist and fingers, as if it is telling to the traveler that he will find hospitable and friendly people in this hard and karst region of Herzegovina.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments, adopted a decision that the historic site – necropolis of stecak tombstones at Radimlja near Stolac is a National Monument of BiH (Official Gazette of BiH, No. 40/02) on the 5th of November 2002.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
