Perast lies at the foot of St. Ilya Hill which separates the Risan Bay from the Bay of Kotor. Since it has both feet in each Bay, and because of its popularity and cultural significance, I have given this town which began life as a village, its own page.
Perast
Once a sleepy fishermen's village, the Perast of today is a fully-fledged town of great cultural significance and a UNESCO heritage site. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, when Kotor Bay was shared by both the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic, Perast's position on the border of these two opponents greatly increased its status.
Those inhabitants of Perast who protected Venetian territory were awarded many special privileges by the Venetian Republic: the most important being tax-free trading on all Venetian markets. As a result, many citizens became extremely wealthy and were able to invest large sums of monies in magnificent palaces and churches. Today, despite its diminutive size, the town has sixteen Baroque palaces, seventeen Catholic churches, and two Orthodox churches.
The undisputed jewel of Perast's historic churches is the Roman Catholic church Our Lady of the Rocks. Set against a backdrop of brooding Wagnerian karst mountains that plunge into the bay like mammoths of prehistory, this beautiful ancient church floats dreamlike on Kotor Bay's still waters. This enchanting islet, according to legend, was created over centuries by seamen who after discovering the icon of the Madonna and Child on the rock in 1452 swore an ancient oath. Returning from their voyages, each seaman in respect of the ancient oath, threw a rock into the bay which gradually evolved into the islet that we see today.
Our Lady of the Rocks
St George Island
Solitary, mysterious and inaccessible, this ancient island, also known as the 'Island of the Dead', sits afloat on Kotor Bay with the iconic Perast town and Lovcen Mountain in the distance as company. Once home to the temple of St George, from which it gets its namesake, there now sits a charming simple stone church which houses the paintings of the Montenegrin artist Lovro Marinov Dobrichevich and his contemporaries.
But behind this simple facade and dreamy site lies a tragic tale: a young soldier involved in a battle on the island, fired his gun towards the town of Perast and accidentally shot his girlfriend. Unable to live with the consequences of his actions he then died himself.
All images and words Copyright © 2014. Flavia Brilli.
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