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Our Lady of the Rock
In the most beautiful part of the Bay of Kotor near Perast are two peculiarly picturesque islands. The smaller St. George rises from a natural reef and houses a Benedictine monastery shaded by cypresses while its big sister Our Lady of the Rocks was artificially created in the 15th century around a rock where an image of the Madonna was found. Every year on 22 July the locals row over with stones to continue the task.
Our Lady of the Rock lies about 115 m (377 feet) northeast of the island of St. George. The stone plateau in the middle of the sea with a church on it is the result of the enduring efforts of generations of mariners. The island was built by scuttling old ships and depositing stones around a small crag. The name of the island derived from the word skrpjel – an old word for a crag. The construction of a sanctuary began in the first century of the Venetian rule. The sanctuary was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin because this cult (Assunzione della Vergine) was greatly venerated by the Venetians.
The original church was built in the mid 15th century and was of modest proportions. Over the centuries, the “island” was constantly enlarged and reinforced by both deposits of stones and scuttled sailing ships until it provided a sufficient base for a boulder architectural undertaking. Most of the present-day church was erected after the great earthquake of 1667 when the original sanctuary was destroyed. It is a single-nave, modestly proportioned church in the Byzantine style. An octagonal 11m domed presbytery and a bell tower were added circa 1725. These gave the Our Lady of the Rock the distinctive baroque appearance that can be seen today.
The interior of the church was decorated with 68 paintings by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century painter from Perast. On the altar is the famous icon of Our Lady of the Rock, a 15th century work by Lovro Marinov Dobricevic. It is the most valuable work of art in the church because its history is so closely related to that of the island.
Its baroque interior and rich treasury are telling the stories of local life, and this is what makes this Island a must see in bay of Kotor.
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