The Dola Memorial Complex is located in Piva (municipality of Plužine, near Nikšić) and is a poignant memorial site dedicated to the victims of the greatest crime in this region during the Second World War. Due to the scale of the tragedy, Dola is often called the "beer town of Kragujevac".
Here are key historical, architectural and spiritual details about this complex:
Tragedy on June 7, 1943: During the infamous German operation "Schwartz" (Fifth Enemy Offensive), members of the SS Division "Prinz Eugen", supported by local shooting units, brutally killed 522 civilians, including 109 children, in Doli Zverski in just one day. Among the victims were entire families and fraternities from Piva.
Three valleys (dolice): The place of suffering consists of three natural depressions (doli). The fascists divided the victims into three groups: men were shot in one group, women and girls in the second, and children in the third.
Monument and sculptures: The author of the memorial complex is the famous Montenegrin sculptor Luka Tomanović. The complex includes stone sculptural groups placed in all three valleys:
"Uprighting" / "Skeet": A sculpture that symbolizes the suffering and disobedience of men.
"Mother with Children": A poignant monument in a woman's and child's womb depicting a mother trying to protect her children.
Memorial Temple of the Third Turning of the Head of St. John the Baptist: In 2006, a dedicated memorial temple was built within the complex (the site of the Piva Monastery). The date of the feast of the Third Conversion (June 7) coincides with the day when the massacre took place.
Holy New Martyrs of Piva: In 2017, the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized the victims of this massacre into the order of saints as the Holy New Martyrs of Piva. The memory of Mita Jaglika Adžić, a girl who jumped into the burning hut alone with her mother and brothers, not wanting to remain in the hands of criminals, stands out.
Every year on June 7, the holy bishop's liturgy is celebrated in the memorial complex and a large commemoration is held, which is attended by many residents of Piva, Nikšić and people from the entire region.
