Stećak (sing.) or stećci (pl.) are late medieval tombstones found in the western Balkans, predominantly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, southern Croatia, northern Montenegro, and western Serbia. They are a unique phenomenon. Unlike antique sarcophagi, stećci are pseudo-sarcophagi; they are solid blocks of stone positioned on top of graves. They appear in the shape of slabs, trunks, crosses, and pillars; the shape most similar to antique sarcophagi is the high pseudo-sarcophagus (with a “roof”).
The term stećak itself literally means standing tombstone. It is the term mainly used by scholars and in the scholarly literature, while the local inhabitants usually call them by folkloric terms such as Greek graveyards, Hungarian graveyards, limestones, stones, and graves. In older, mostly popular, literature these monuments were also known as Bogomil gravestones for their supposed association with the medieval Bogomil cult. Although stećci have been investigated for more than a century and thousands of them have been found many questions still arise. Many monuments have been only been registered as existing, with no excavation; most of them have not been excavated archaeologically. Stećci are particularly interesting because of their shapes and decorative motifs.
Stećci sites in Montenegro
UNESCO World Heritage (inscribed as part of the serial property “Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards”)
Montenegro has three component necropolises within the UNESCO-listed serial property (which totals 28 component sites across four countries).
- Grčko groblje (Greek graveyard), Žabljak (UNESCO component 1504-023) 📍43.09483395803619, 19.14917847627086
A compact necropolis near the Durmitor area with 49 registered stećci (slabs, chests, and gabled “roof” forms), aligned in rows and predominantly oriented east–west. 22 stones are decorated, commonly with architectural/ornamental carving (e.g., arcades, bands, vine/garland motifs, palmettes). - Bare Žugića, Žabljak (UNESCO component 1504-024) 📍43.10758762922869, 19.16804163898536
The largest UNESCO stećci site in Montenegro, with 300 stećci in rows on elevated mountain terrain near Durmitor’s contact zone. 23 tombstones are decorated; motifs range from crosses, bands, bows-and-arrows, and rosettes to rarer narrative scenes (including wheel-dancing/kolo and animal scenes). - Grčko groblje, Plužine (Zagrađe / Šćepan Polje, UNESCO component 1504-025)
A small but historically rich necropolis below the medieval stronghold area of Soko in Piva. It includes an important inscribed stećak mentioning kristijanin Petko and Duke Stjepan (Stjepan Vukčić Kosača), which allows dating to roughly 1435–1448.
Notable stećci sites beyond the UNESCO-listed necropolises
Pišče (Piva–Durmitor border area, Municipality of Plužine) 📍43.139697633210666, 18.916577650637144
Often highlighted locally for its dramatic setting, Pišče has a necropolis with 14 stećci (mostly chest-type, plus one gabled “roof” stone). Reported decorations include a swastika motif on one chest and a long sword on another (motifs that appear across the stećci tradition in different symbolic contexts).
Piva as a broader “kingdom of stećci” (Park prirode “Piva”)
For readers who want scale: within Piva Nature Park, stećci are reported across 35 locations, totaling 787 monuments—with one site officially on the UNESCO list (the Plužine component above).
Mataruge–Molika (near Pljevlja)📍 43.25577152538669, 19.450443574064955
A documented necropolis on the Molika hill, today within/alongside a modern cemetery area—meaning some stones have been displaced over time. Published records note dozens of stećci here (with a mixture of slabs, chests, and gabled forms), and the site is frequently discussed as an example of how later burials and landscape change can affect preservation.
Quick practical note for visitors
Many Montenegrin stećci are in high-mountain and rural settings (Durmitor/Piva/Pljevlja region). The stones are vulnerable to weathering and ground movement, so standard heritage etiquette applies: do not climb on them, avoid rubbing/cleaning lichen, and keep to existing paths where present.
