Native name: Gospa od Škrpjela | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Bay of Kotor |
| Area | 0.38 ha (0.94 acres) |
| Administration | |
Montenegro | |
Our Lady of the Rocks is one of the two islets off the coast of Perast in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro (the other being Sveti Đorđe island). It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.[1] The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks (Montenegrin: Госпа од Шкрпјела, romanized: Gospa od Škrpjela) is the largest building on the islet, and has a museum attached to it. There is also a small gift shop close to the church and a navigation light at the northern end of the islet.
According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea[2] on 22 July 1452.[3] Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea.[4] The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of 22 July, an event called fašinada in the local dialect, when local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place.[2] The church was renovated in 1722.[4]
- ^ discover-montenegro.com: Gospa od Skrpjela Archived 2010-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Fašinada (by Nebojša Mandić)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
heritagewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b [1]: Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), 25 April 1997