Necropolis of Molika stećak tombstones
History
The necropolis was most likely built in the 14th century and lasted until the end of the 15th century. The first subsequent burials that can be seen in a modern cemetery can be placed at the end of the 19th century, although the remains of the church in whose foundations and floor are enclosed stećak tombstones may have been older than today's cemetery. This indicates a cultural discontinuity. As in most other cases, this necropolis occupies the most dominant position in the whole landscape, which is a matrix that speaks of the beliefs of the people who buried their dead there, and their relationship to the dead and territory. Research on this necropolis was carried out several times in the 20th century, and the last was carried out in 2012, when two stećak tombstones were removed from it and placed in front of the Museum of Montenegro in Cetinje.
Cultural site details
The necropolis can be divided into northern and southern parts, separated by a modern cemetery. A number of monuments are located in front of and at the very entrance to the cemetery. In the northern part of the necropolis, stećak tombstones have been worked on, and gables dominate. In the southern part, where the remains of a small church are located, the stećak tombstones have been built into the church itself, and there are fewer processed monuments. Most of the stećak tombstones are oriented east-west. The stećak tombstones are lined up. The chests that dominate are cramped, and most are a meter to a meter and a half long. The gables are best worked, with a plinth, with four gables having a hipped roof. Of all the stećak tombstones, only 7 are decorated. Arcades dominate as decorations, where the stećak is a symbol of the house, but common motifs are crescent-shaped symbols, geometric incisions, circles, and even zigzag bent friezes. On one gable there is an incised bow and arrow, and on one plate a relief depiction of the sun with rays. No stećak tombstones with inscriptions were found on the site.
Many stećak tombstones are overgrown with weeds, damaged due to atmospheric influences, grown into the ground, etc. Subsequent research has shown that there are over 60 monuments on the site, not all of which are stećak tombstones.