Velika and Mala Crljivica - Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards
Cista Velika, Croatia
25.09.2025
The Stećci Graveyards - Medieval Tombstones in Cista Velika, Croatia
The Stećci graveyards in Cista Velika, Croatia are a unique and fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the picturesque Dalmatian countryside, these graveyards are home to hundreds of medieval tombstones known as Stećci. These tombstones are intricately carved and hold great historical and cultural significance.
The Stećci are believed to have originated in the 12th century and were used as a form of burial for the local nobility and wealthy citizens. They are characterized by their unique decorations and inscriptions, which provide valuable insights into the culture and beliefs of the people from that time period.
Visitors to the Stećci graveyards can explore the different styles and designs of the tombstones, which range from simple crosses to more elaborate sculptures. Some of the most impressive Stećci are those that depict scenes from everyday life, such as hunting, farming, and social gatherings.
One of the most notable features of the Stećci graveyards is the variety of languages used in the inscriptions. Alongside the local Croatian language, there are also inscriptions in Latin, Cyrillic, and even Glagolitic script. This reflects the diverse cultural influences in the region during that time.
The Stećci graveyards also hold great historical significance, as they provide evidence of the political and social changes that occurred in the region during the Middle Ages. The tombstones were often used as a way for families to show their wealth and power, and some even bear the coats of arms of prominent families.
Today, the Stećci graveyards are not only a popular tourist attraction but also an important cultural heritage site. They serve as a reminder of the rich and diverse history of the Dalmatian region and provide valuable insights into the lives of its people.
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This serial property combines 28 sites, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, western Montenegro and central and southern Croatia, representing these cemeteries and regionally distinctive medieval tombstones, or stećci. The cemeteries, which date from the 12th to 16th centuries CE, are laid out in rows, as was the common custom in Europe from the Middle Ages. The stećci are mostly carved from limestone. They feature a wide range of decorative motifs and inscriptions that represent iconographic continuities within medieval Europe as well as locally distinctive traditions.
Stećak (plural stećci; Serbian Cyrillic: стећак, стећци) 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 borders of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of 10,000 are found in what are today Croatia (4,400), Montenegro (3,500), and Serbia (2,100), at more than 3,300 odd sites with over 90% in poor condition. They are cut in a variety of recognizable stećak forms, with certain percentage being richly decorated and some individual stećci also containing inscriptions in form of epitaphs.
Appearing in the mid 12th century, with the first phase in the 13th century, the custom of cutting and using stećci tombstones reached its peak in the 14th and 15th century, before being discontinued in the very early 16th century during the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were a common tradition amongst Bosnian, Catholic and Orthodox Church followers alike, and were used by both Slavic and the Vlach populations.
On the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, all found individual and stećci grouped in necropolises are considered immovable heritage and most are already inscribed on one of the lists of the Commission to preserve National Monuments, whether on the List of National Monuments, Tentative List, or into List of Petitions. Stećci are also inscribed into World Heritage List by UNESCO since 2016, with a selection of some 4,000 individual monoliths, grouped in necropolises at 28 locations, of which 20 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two in Croatia, three in Montenegro, and three in Serbia. One of the best preserved collections of these tombstones is Radimlja, west of Stolac in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the Zgošća Stećak is one of the most representative individual examples of stećak found, in terms of its size, artistic processing and ornamentation.
