A Church Like No Other: Our Lady of the Rocks.

Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast, Montenegro.

September 2021.

Cover photo courtesy of Diego Delso.

It was a warm, gentle September morning on the Montenegrin coast. The sky-a-blue, the clouds-a-fluff as Sladja and I boarded the bus in Tivat. Much to my delight, the driver issued our tickets from a vintage setright machine, a fabulous contraption that oozes the charm and nostalgia of the pre-digital age.

Unfortunately, this initial endearment quickly gave way to irritation as we realised how horribly overloaded the bus was getting with each passing second. Luckily, we succeeded in grabbing two of the last available seats as locals and tourists alike continued to pour onboard. Yikes, and this was the off-season.

Still, we couldn’t stay annoyed for long. After all, this was a glorious day off and for the first time since arriving in Montenegro we’d be leaving Tivat for some exploring further afield. Our destination was the exquisite town of Perast, a former Venetian maritime hub perched on a cape that separates the bays of Kotor and Risano.

Famed as a veritable jewel of the Montenegrin coast, we were really excited by the prospect of Perast. And this anticipation grew further as the bus gradually wound its way around twisting coastal roads. Various villages and towns came and went, with superb bay views from our window.

A Church Like No Other: Our Lady of the Rocks.

By car the drive usually takes just under fifty minutes. But with all the drop offs and pick ups our journey took almost an hour and a half. In fact, there were times when the bus could barely fit through the road’s narrowest sections, causing a build up of traffic on both sides. No wonder we breathed a sigh of relief when, at long last, we disembarked into pretty Perast.

Home to 400 residents and just 1.5 kilometres in length, it’s easy to see how overwhelmed Perast gets in the frantic summer months. And yet, the town was perfectly chilled as we sauntered down the promenade looking for a breakfast spot. We soon found a lovely waterside restaurant belonging to the fancy Leon Coronato Heritage Hotel.

The building, a baroque masterpiece dating back to 1623, is the former home of a well-to-do sea captain, Marko Martinović. Leon Coronato meanwhile was a 17th century painter famed for his religious art and pieces showcasing the Bay of Kotor’s natural beauty.

The hotel’s restaurant, Djardin, features an outdoor terrace right by the water’s edge, where we were delighted to secure a table.

Djardin Restaurant, Perast.

Annoyingly, we had just missed the cutoff time for breakfast. Thus, instead of something light and eggy, all they seemed to offer were three-course seafood extravaganzas.

For Sladja and I this just wouldn’t do, but we’d sat in such a nice spot neither of us wanted to move. So we settled on coffee and sweet bites. A wedge of apple cake for me, a creamy tiramisu for Sladja. I can literally hear the Hungry Travellers tutting in disapproval.

Gazing across the cape, we spied Perast’s two famous islets, one of which would be our first port of call after breakfast.

There are a number of local companies along the promenade offering boat taxi transfers. Admittedly, we couldn’t be bothered shopping around, but rather took a cruise with the first operator we came across, Ship Dado Travel.

Keen to visit Perast’s iconic islet and church, Our Lady of the Rocks, we paid our dues for a return trip (10 Euros for the two of us) and hopped onboard the little, half-full boat.

A Church Like No Other: Our Lady of the Rocks.

Pleasingly, they didn’t make us sit around until every last seat had been taken. Rather, within a few minutes, we were chugging through the cape enjoying mountain-framed bay views and feeling the cool air on our faces.

Behind us little Perast lay still, a LEGO-like creation getting smaller and smaller as we progressed.

In the distance, positively tiny amid the rippled blue waters of the cape, two canoeists beat a slow path back towards town.

In under ten minutes, Perast’s two famous islets came into focus. The first, and far prettier of the two, is Sveti Đorđe (St. George Island).

Sveti Đorđe.

Unlike the island we were heading to, this is a natural islet named after the 12th-century Benedictine Monastery of St. George that stands upon it.

A key piece of history took place in October 1813 when, following a small skirmish, British and Sicilian forces captured Sveti Đorđe from the French when they took control of the bay during the Napoleonic Wars.

In addition to its stone monastery, there is an historic graveyard. What a privilege it would be to visit it, as there are graves of notable Perastians spanning the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Sadly (for us anyhow) the island is privately owned and not typically open to the public.

With St. George Island behind us, we began the approach to Perast’s curiously named islet and church, Our Lady of the Rocks. To our dismay, a large passenger ferry blocked part of the island, though the church was at least still visible.

Our Lady of the Rocks is an artificial island with a curious history. According to local legend, it was built up over centuries by seamen who, upon returning from a successful voyage, would toss a large rock into a shallow stretch of water near the cape.

Our Lady of the Rocks.

Local records from the time suggest a seaman may have dropped the first rock in the summer of 1452. The man claimed he had found an icon of Madonna and Child on the rocks of a local reef. Excited, he took the icon home. But mysteriously, it soon disappeared from his house, only to show up back at the precise spot he’d found it.

This, he and many other local sailors believed, was a sign of divine intervention. As a result, they resolved to set the foundations for an island that would one day host a grand church.

The church those original sailors had dreamed of was eventually completed in 1630. Throughout the centuries, Perast’s locals have continued adding rocks (and indeed the carcasses of retired ships) to the island’s foundations.

The process, known as fašinada, even has its own annual festival that locals still observe. It takes place on July the 22nd, no doubt a fantastic time to come and visit the town.

We actually had a bit of luck as we arrived. Indeed, just as we were jumping out of our boat, a sizeable group of tourists filed back onto the large vessel we’d seen on our approach. Suddenly, just as we got to the church, a quietness had fallen over the islet.

A Unique Church.

The church is rather small, but incredibly pretty. An Italian master craftsman by the name of Antonio Capellano created the main altar out of Carrara and Corinthian marble. It contains a highly revered icon of Mary and Christ made by the celebrated Venetian painter Lovro Dobričević.

Moreover, the interior features no less than 68 oil paintings by the renowned Perast-born baroque artist Tripo Kokolja. Many of these paintings depict biblical scenes, particularly from the life of the Virgin Mary.

Another fascinating element of the church’s interior are the various silver votive tablets that adorn the walls. Over the centuries, local sailors and worshippers from across Europe and beyond have left these unusual offerings as tokens of gratitude for safe voyages and answered prayers.

There are two structures on the island. Right next to the church (separated by the narrow alley pictured earlier) stands the fabulous Museum of Religious and Local Art.

The building is a treasure trove of artistic delights. There are ancient vases, pots, candlesticks and model ships. We also loved this spectacular 550-year-old painted wooden chest that, according to local historians, is the oldest piece of furniture from the Bay of Kotor.

Our Lady of the Rocks.

Some standout pieces should not be missed. Take for example this brilliant and bizarre embroidered tapestry made by a local woman, Jacinta Kunić-Mijović. She began work on it after her husband, a sailor, failed to return from a voyage in 1803.

Over the course of 25 years she produced this dedication to the Virgin Mary using gold and silver threads, Chinese silk and even strands of her own greying hair. A stunning creation, though it never brought her husband back home.

Elsewhere, how about this decorative stone cross tablet mounted on a plaque with a note in Montenegrin. Sladja explained that this tiny thing is the oldest known Christian symbol in Perast, having been discovered in the ruins of a Roman house.

And there was so much more. Overall we spent much more time exploring the art museum than we did in the actual church. I couldn’t stop taking photos, here’s a gallery of some of our favourite bits.

Entry to the church and museum is just 2 Euros per person. However, don’t worry if this gives you the guilts as there are ample opportunities for donations throughout the many rooms.

Kerching!

Back outside, a soft breeze whispering over us, we had ten minutes or so before the next taxi back to Perast. Hence we decided to do a quick loop of the island. The views all around the cape are absolutely sublime.

St. George Islet from Our Lady of the Rocks.

Elsewhere, it was cool to grab a few shots of the church’s distinctive green doors.

What’s more, we got to check out one last piece of historic art with this unusual stone table. In the 1800s there was a third building on the island called Reconciliation Hall. Back in the day, the island’s resident priest would meet with quarrelling friends and families in order to try and solve their problems.

If a solution couldn’t be found, the priest would sometimes lock his visitors up in the hall without food and water until they’d resolved their differences. Peace was often reached at this very table. The main shelf symbolises the weight of quarrelling, the two figures carrying it bear the burden of discord.

It was time to head back to Perast in our little boat. The day had already delivered so much, but we were far from done with the town’s many charms. Next up, a visit to Perast Museum and its absorbing exhibition housed in a former Venetian palace.

Like this? Check out my many articles from across Montenegro.

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