Topolo: Churches, Stećci and Karst Landscape

Topolo is shaped by its sacred cultural heritage and cultivated karst landscape. Churches, stećci and archaeological evidence span the period from prehistory to the Middle Ages; at the same time, terraces, olive trees and vineyards define Topolo Field. This provides a clear thematic framework for searching for hotels in Topolo: you can get to know the place through its architectural and settlement history or through the interplay of agriculture and karst.

Churches and Cultural Heritage

The parish was established in 1620 and is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; its local name is Mala Gospa. The Mala Gospa parish church was built in the Baroque style in the 17th century. A 15th-century necropolis lies directly beside the parish church. The church and necropolis thus represent different historical periods.

The sacred heritage also includes the Church of St. Luke with stećci, the Church of the Nativity of Mary with stećci, and the Church of St. Stephen. The latter dates from the 10th century. Its door jambs are decorated with old Croatian interlace; it stands on a small plateau above a fertile field between Imotica and Topolo.

St Lujo, also known as Aloysius Gonzaga, is a votive chapel dating from 1882. Several stećci beside the chapel are remnants of a once larger medieval necropolis. Comparing it with the necropolis by the parish church therefore reveals two distinct associations: a cemetery explicitly dated to the 15th century and tombstones linked to a once larger medieval necropolis.

Archaeological Traces and Different Periods

Archaeological sites associated with Topolo include the prehistoric and ancient hillfort settlement of Veliki Lukovac, prehistoric burial mounds near Sokolova gruda, and a Roman villa rustica. Medieval stećci are also found by the churches of Mala Gospa and St. Luke. The settlement, burial mounds, villa and tombstones thus represent different kinds of archaeological evidence and historical periods.

Topolo Field and the Cultural Landscape

Topolo Field is designated as a rare and protected karst landscape. Protected ethnological features in the field landscape include water sources and farmsteads with threshing floors. The scope of protection thus extends from the karst terrain to traditional features of the agricultural cultural landscape.

The parish of Topolo lies along a karst field. Topolo and the surrounding cultivated land form a continuous cultivated karst landscape. The terraces around Topolo Field are planted with olive trees and grapevines; olives have been grown in the area for centuries. Those particularly interested in landscape and agriculture will find a different way to experience the place than through individual churches and archaeological sites: the focus is on the interplay between karst and cultivated land.

In the wider destination of Općina Dubrovačko Primorje

Općina Dubrovačko Primorje also has its own cultural and culinary themes. In Bistrina Bay, in the Malostonski Channel, high-quality oysters of the species Ostrea have traditionally been cultivated. Linđo from Dubrovačko primorje was recognized as intangible cultural heritage on October 19, 2011. These examples complement the themes relating to Topolo with a regional oyster-farming tradition and recognized intangible cultural heritage.

The distinction is easy to sum up when choosing by travel theme: the churches, stećci and archaeological sites offer an introduction to architectural and settlement history; Topolo Field brings the cultural landscape and its agricultural use to the fore.

Discover more destinations: Štedrica, Slano, Majkovi, Ošlje, Doli, Banići, Mravinca.

Go to the broader travel overview: Općina Dubrovačko Primorje.