Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks) | Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

[Singidunum]

Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks - Chiesa della Madonna dello Scarpello), Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

The small church, made on artificial island.


Gospa od Škrpjela (from the Italian Madonna dello Scarpello) is a baroque church on one of two islets, deep in the Bay of Kotor, across from the town of Perast. The islet is man-made, and had its original church was built in 1452. The present church was built in 1632 and enlarged in 1722.

The church contains 68 magnificent paintings by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century baroque artist from Perast. His most important painting, ten meters long, is The Death of the Virgin. There are also paintings by Italian artists, and an icon (circa 1452) of Our Lady of the Rocks, by Lovro Dobricevic of Kotor.

The island was made at the end of the 15th century when the original church was built, although it has since expanded as the island has grown. The church that is there today was built in 1630, and it is one of the most important cultural memorials of the Bay. The main works on the church were carried out from 1720 to 1725 when under the direction of the then well- known Ilija Katicic. An eight-sided presbytery with a cupola was made as well as a circular bell tower with horizontal wreaths and rifle holes. Part of the work was done by Petar Dubrovcanin i Vuk Kandiot. On the façade of the church is a portal with a frontispiece and a small statue of Our Lady and Christ of archaic appearance. In 1796 Antonio Kapelano from Genoa was commissioned by the town council of Perast to make a marble altar on which stands the famous icon of Our Lady of Skrpjel, by an artist of the end of the 15th century, Lovar Dobricevic. Another citizen of Perast Andrija Zmajevic commissioned the interior of the church to be painted by a representative of the Venetian school, a man from the Bay, Tripo Kokolja. On the ceiling and walls are sixty eight pictures on canvas, the ones at the very top and the top edges of the walls are scenes from the life of Our Lady, while the lower parts of the walls have scenes from the Old Testament. On the central part of the ceiling is a picture of the Ascension of Our Lady, and apart from this picture other major compositions are the Crowning of Mary and the Death of Mary.

On the ceiling are forty or more pictures bordered by a seafaring symbol - twisted gilded rope. On the side walls of the church around Kokolja's pictures there are a large number of silver plates with reliefs showing the boats of local sailors, who left these plates when they went off to sea, because it was believed that in this way Our Lady of Skrpjel would protect them wherever they were. Apart from this the church contains a large collection of archeological exhibits found from all over the Bay and a large number of items from everyday life and various handmade items, which worshippers have left as a token of thanks for answered prayers made to the patron saint of the seafarers of the Bay. As part of the Fascinada an international regatta for sailing yachts has been organized for the past two years, which completes the picture of Perast and its sailors. The Regatta is held in the straits in front of Perast, around the island up to the straits of Verige and in part of the Bay of Tivat, and is organized by the Yachting Association of Montenegro. Each 22nd July a huge number of tourists and local people from the Bay come to Perast to enjoy the area around the Town Museum and to leave its mark on this tradition of the Bay of Kotor - one of the few sea processions - the Fascinada. This traditional celebration got its name from the Italian word ''fascia'', meaning tape or binding, so called because the convoy of boats, decorated with poplar branches and loaded with rocks, are tied together. The boats carry only the local priest and the men, descendants of famous seafarers, and prominent citizens of Perast while the women wave to them from the shore. Every year on the 22nd of July, at the end of the day when the sun goes down, the rowing boats set out to the sound of the bugarstica , towards the island to fulfill the vows of their ancestors and to drop more rocks around the island.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[Singidunum]

9.5/10 because its very old and its on artificial island (much before Dubai's palms and with more style ). Its also not main church so the architecture is not grand.

[B@dGuYoM]

8.5/10

[3tmk]

I am amazed it didn't have its own poll before this!
10/10, I love it, add the scenery to this and you pratically have paradise

[Matthieu]

Being on an artificial island gives it a good note. The building itself is cool but I prefer the western gothic style.

[Fabio]

8/10

the island helped a lot

[Ellatur]

ubernice
10/10
btw how did they make the island?

[Singidunum]

after some ship sank they droped rocks on it every year they drop more rocks

[SkylineTurbo]

10!

[DamienK]

8/10

[Arpels]

the churche need some restauration in the exterior but the cenary is gorgeos 9,5

[Phobos]

9/10
great location and background,the church itself is nothing special.

[forvine]

Originally Posted by Phobos

9/10
great location and background,the church itself is nothing special.

agree

[Sinjin P.]

9/10 Nice surroundings although the Structure itself isn't that promising.

[Youngstar]

wonderful

[El_Greco]

8.5/10

[LordMarshall]

9/10

[Stiggen]

8,5/10

[clarky]

8/10

[Dreamlıneя]

10/10