Roadside Memorials and National Identity in 19th Century Serbia

Jovanović, Vladimir and Vučetić, Biljana (2020) Roadside Memorials and National Identity in 19th Century Serbia. In: War, Peace and Nation-Building (1853–1918). The Institute of History / Collection of Works, vol. 43 . The Institute of History (Belgrade) and Sapienza University of Rome, Research center CEMAS (Roma), Belgrade, pp. 101-121. ISBN 978-86-7743-140-2

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Abstract

This paper is concerned with the development of the roadside memorial – a particular type of memorial erected in the Serbian rural environments in the late 19th and early 20th century. As a new type of grave markers, roadside memorials first appeared in order to preserve the memory of the soldiers who died in the wars waged between 1876 and 1918. These memorials were considerably different from the Serbian memorials of the day, both in terms of their visual richness and their message. They were remembered for their recognizable representation of a soldier, chiselled in a stone relief in life size and decked with vivid colours. Positioned largely outside of cemeteries, at various crossroads, near springs, or in open spaces, they were intended to mark the death of a relative and memorialize the victim who perished in the numerous war conflicts. As a very popular form of memorial heritage in rural environments, roadside memorials gradually gained ground, spreading from the southwest of the country towards the north and east. The roadside memorial tradition was aligned with the complex funeral rituals followed in the Serbian villages. However, very different memorials were developing at the same time in the urban environments as a result of a new, civic funerary culture

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