By: Feđa Kulina
In the settlement of Podvlaštica, at the entrance to Orebić, a necropolis of medieval tombstones was formerly located on the site of today’s modern Catholic cemetery and the Church of St. George. It was destroyed during the construction of the church and the expansion of the cemetery, at which time a portion of the medieval tombstones was built into the church structure. In his 1971 book, Šefik Bešlagić recorded six medieval tombstones at this location, noting that some were incorporated into the church facade and the altar.
Today, it is possible to see three medieval tombstones on the floor in front of the church entrance and one on the side. The tombstones have been worn smooth, though Bešlagić states they were originally decorated with rosette and cross motifs. It is possible that the decorated medieval tombstones are located inside the church and are not visible from the exterior.
Although I. Fisković believes that these are not “classic” medieval tombstones (stećci) but rather “tombstone slabs typical of the Dalmatian coast,” the site is nonetheless recorded in the Register of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County (2017) as a cultural property containing medieval tombstones.
