Methodologies for the study of a vernacular built environment within a historic residential complex: The case of the village of Gornji Stoliv, Montenegro

Abstract

The settlement of Gornji Stoliv is an abandoned rural ensemble located on the northern hillside of Mount Vrmac, in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. Including around six dozen residential, commercial and religious buildings, the village is a rare testimony to a social and architectural tradition that was developed throughout the Adriatic coast within the borders of the Republic of Venice from 1420 to 1797. A research conducted between December 2018 and May 2019 was the first wide-scale research into the historical, social, urban, and architectural characteristics and cultural landscape of the village since the 1950s. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive set of analyses carried out on the current state of conservation of the village and demonstrates the methodologies required to analyse a historical built environment of this kind in the absence of sufficient written and archival material.