Church of Our Lady of the Rocks, Bay of Kotor
The Church of Our Lady of the Rocks was first built in the 15th century on an artificial island, opposite the island of St. George and its ancient Benedictine abbey. The church, in its present form, was built between 1630 and 1725. A unique feature of this holy place was the Reconciliation Room, where families in deep conflict would come to resolve long-standing disputes. The merciful gaze of Our Lady of the Rocks was believed to ensure that the reconciliation process would proceed peacefully.
About this building
According to a deeply rooted legend, on the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, July 22, 1452, two fishermen—brothers named Mortešić—found an image of the Virgin Mary on a rock near the town of Perast. A series of miraculous events followed: one of the brothers was healed after praying before the icon, and the icon reappeared on the same rock, locally called “škrpjel” (from the dialect word scarpello).
The people of Perast soon realized that a chapel should be built on that spot to house the image. As devotion to the Virgin Mary under the title “Our Lady of the Rocks” grew, so did the ambitions of the townspeople. Instead of a modest chapel, they decided to build a full church—a votive sanctuary for the entire Bay of Kotor, renowned for its artistic beauty and collection of votive offerings. It was built on an artificial island, opposite the island of St. George and its ancient Benedictine abbey.
To build the sanctuary, they first had to create the island—an unheard-of and entirely unique endeavor at the time, and a profound expression of faith, devotion, and perseverance. Old boats were filled with stones and sunk around the reef. The construction spanned decades, involving generations of Perast residents. It took about a hundred years for the island to take its current shape and size, and another century for the church to acquire its Baroque appearance. The church, in its present form, was built between 1630 and 1725.
Inside, the church is adorned with Baroque paintings by Tripo Kokolja—around 70 large and small compositions on wood and canvas. At the heart of the sanctuary stands a magnificent marble altar with the icon of Our Lady of the Rocks. The sanctuary is famous for its collection of over 2,000 silver votive plaques (ex-voto), mostly with maritime themes. A small museum also holds many votive gifts, including paintings of ships in peril and the famous embroidery by Jacinta Kunić, made not only with silk and gold threads but also with strands of her own hair, which changed their natural color to gray over the years of working.
For centuries, the sanctuary has been a refuge and safe harbor for believers from the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro, and Dalmatia. It is a place of prayer for Christians of both Western and Eastern rites. Countless votive gifts testify to gratitude for received blessings, and papal privileges affirm the importance of this pilgrimage site for the local Church.
A unique feature of this holy place was the Reconciliation Room, where families in deep conflict would come to resolve long-standing disputes. The merciful gaze of Our Lady of the Rocks was believed to ensure that the reconciliation process would proceed peacefully.
The icon of Our Lady of the Rocks, the focal point of devotion at the sanctuary, is honored on the main altar built above the rock where it was found. Scholars believe it was painted by Lovro Marinov Dobričević, a Kotor-born artist who spent most of his life in Dubrovnik. He was the last great master of Gothic painting on the eastern Adriatic coast. Painted around 1452 using tempera on cedar wood, the icon follows the classical model of the Hodegetria, or “She Who Shows the Way,” with the Christ Child on her right arm. The Virgin sits on a crescent moon, symbolizing a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western iconography.
In memory of miraculous deliverance from the Turks (1654.), the icon is transferred to the parish church every year on May 15, and on July 22, a local custom called Fašinada takes place—a maritime procession of boats decorated with greenery, from which stones are still thrown into the sea to commemorate the building of the island.
This sanctuary on an artificial island built by human hands, is a unique jewel of faith and culture, a symbol of perseverance and hope, and a powerful testament to devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rocks
