Expert team of the Museum of Polimlje conducted the research of the floor of Church Sveti Nikola in Nikoljac, a suburb of Bijelo Polje, at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. The founder’s tomb and silver coins inside the tomb, from the time of rule of the dinasties Lazarevic and Brankovic, were discovered on that occasion, which served as the evidence that this church was older than it had been considered, and it is now believed that it was built in the 16th century.
In the beginning, the locals brought to the museum the materials they accidentaly discovered at the slopes of Gradac. The fort at the top of the hill was discovered during the archaeological researches conducted in 2007, along with the series of objects inside and outside of the walls. The fort is of a circular shape, with two parallel walls, 1,8 m thick each, and it covers an area of 0,5 hectares.
Discovered objects show the continuity of life on this hill, from the Copper Age until the time of the Ottoman rule over Serbian countries.
Expert team of the Museum of Polimlje conducted archaeological research at this site in 2008, and discovered that a fortification of an elliptical shape at the top of the hill existed in the late antique period, covering the area of 1 hectare.
Sokolac is a village above Tomaševo, in the municipality of Bijelo Polje. Monastery complex is located at 1,200 meters above the sea level, and it was mentioned in the 16th century. Museum of Polimlje conducted archaeological researches of the remains of the church on this site in 2007.
Researches of konak and ancillary buildings had not been conducted.
The remains of the monastery complex Ćelije are located approximately 10 km southeast of Berane, in the village of Kaludra, near the local road Berane-Kaludra.
The team of the Museum of Polimlje conducted archaeological researches on this site in 1991 and discovered the remains of the church Sveti Luka (St. Luke) and monastery konak. Based on the found remains, it was concluded that the church was fresco-painted, but the exact time of construction and destruction of the church and the monastery complex has not been established so far.
Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery – Church Sveti Georgije (Saint George) was founded by the prefect Prvoslav, the son of the great prefect Tihomir, the oldest brother of Stefan Nemanja. The church was built in 1213 and it was the seat of the Budimlja episcopacy, established by Sveti (Saint) Sava, the fourth established church after the Serbian Church obtained autocephaly in 1219. The names of eight bishops and nine metropolitans of Budimlja are known. This episcopacy became Metropolitanate in 15th century, but after the brutal murder of metropolitan Pajsije (Kolašinović), who was skinned alive in 1654, the Ottomans banned the election of the new metropolitan, so the archbishop’s throne remained vacant for the next three and a half centuries.
Episcopacy, today known as The Eparchy of Budimlja-Nikšić, was restored at the beginning of this century and covered the territory of twelve municipalities in Montenegro (52% of the territory of Montenegro), where 150,000 of Orthodox inhabitants live. On the festivity of Mary Magdalene (4 August) in 2002, His Grace Joanikije (Mićović), Bishop of Budimlja-Nikšić, was enthroned in the Bishop’s throne in the Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery, which was vacant for 348 years.
During the past couple of decades, several protective archaeological researches were conducted by the Museum of Polimlje on this monastery complex, and carried out conservation work on the building of the church, when a number of exhibits was brought and temporarily placed in the Museum for processing and better treatment.
The Turks destroyed the entire monastery complex in 1738 and it was not restored until the beginning of the 21st century, when the new church with a konak (dormitory) was built on the foundations of the old church, under the patronage of Mr. Milo Djurašković.
At the beginning of the 20th century new researches were initiated on this site, but were banned because of inexpertness, and therefore could not be considered to be archaeological. At the beginning of this century, Museum of Polimlje conducted systematic archaeological researches of the monastery complex in 2002, when the remains of the church Vavedenje Presvete Bogorodice and the konak complex were discovered. Besides the material, a tombstone was discovered in the floor of the church, and it was dated to the 16th century.
The systematic archaeological researches of the monastery complex, known as Namastir, were conducted during 2005 and 2008. Remains of a small church, with the size of 9,20 x 5,40 m, were discovered, and the material indicated that it was a church from the pre-Nemanjic era, the 10th or 11th century.
In the village of Lubnice, 8 km west of Berane, several systematic archaeological researches were conducted in the village cemetary in 1999, during which the remains of the church of Sveta (Saint) Janja were discovered.
Based on the remains of the foundation, it is believed that the church was built in the late 15th or early 16th century, and that it was fresco-painted.
On the entrance side, this rock shelter is protected by a wall 6 meters tall, built in ancient times. Remains of a Roman aqueduct along the Radmanci River, show that this site belongs to the ancient period. Archaeological researches on the site were conducted in 1990.
Material from this site was discovered by the inhabitants of Budimlja and given to the Museum, while a part of it was bought off.
