Studenica, Stari Ras and Sopoćani, Gamzigrad-Romuliana and the Stećci: Serbia's World Heritage properties

Background

Stari Ras and Sopoćani was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. On the outskirts of Stari Ras, the first capital of Serbia, there is an impressive group of medieval monuments consisting of fortresses, churches and monasteries, while the monastery at Sopoćani is a reminder of the contacts between Western civilization and the Byzantine world. Studenica Monastery was inscribed in 1986; it was established in the late 12th century by Stevan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, shortly after his abdication. Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius was inscribed in 2007. This Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex in the east of Serbia was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus and was known as Felix Romuliana, named after the emperor's mother. Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards was inscribed in 2016 as a serial property combining 28 sites located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, western Montenegro and central and southern Croatia. The cemeteries date from the 12th to 16th centuries CE and are laid out in rows.