During the digging of the foundations for the hotel “Avala” between 1936 and 1938, several graves from the Hellenic and Roman periods were discovered, together with a lot of precious materials – especially gold and silver jewellery, different dishes, glassware, ceramics, and weapons.
The necropolis has two parts, the older one that belongs to the Hellenic period between the 4th and 1st centuries BC, and the newer one belonging to the Roman period from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. A total of 450 graves were discovered and it is believed that the necropolis had been used for more than a millennium. Apart from in the City Museum of Budva, many objects discovered in the Budva necropolis, especially those discovered between 1936 and 1938, can now be found in many other museums in the region (Cetinje, Belgrade, Zagreb, Split), as well as in private collections.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.