Vlach people can be found throughout the Balkans and much of Central and Eastern Europe. They’re believed to be the remnants of the Roman population (either ethnically Latin or Romanised Illyrians) who retreated into the less accessible areas as the Slavs poured in from the north. In Montenegro they formed seminomadic shepherding communities, moving their flocks between summer and winter pastures. While in neighbouring states they retain their own Latin-based language and customs to a greater or lesser degree, in Montenegro they appear to have been assimilated into the Slavic population.
One echo of their presence is this church. While its present appearance dates from the 19th century, it was actually founded around 1450 and therefore predates the Montenegrin founding of Cetinje. The original structure was made of thatch daubed in mud. A sumptuous gilded iconostasis (1878) is the centrepiece of current church.
Take a closer look at the fence around the church: it’s made from 1544 barrels of guns taken from the Ottomans during the wars at the end of the 19th century. Two 14th-century stećci stand in the churchyard, examples of mysterious carved stone monuments that are found throughout northern Montenegro and neighbouring Bosnia.
