In the old town of Šibenik there is a Catholic shrine built into the rocks.
Author: John Ferebee
Sibenik
Sailing into Sibenik
Croatian Sunrise
Taken as we were departing Korčula.
Korčula
Korčula is an island on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea
Our Lady of the Rocks
This church is accessible by boat from several locations in Boka Bay. We used the Perast Marina.
The story is on July 22, 1452: two sailors, returning to Perast from a difficult voyage, discovered an icon of the Madonna and Child resting on a rock in a shallow part of the Bay. Considering the find a miracle, they vowed to build a church on the spot. The sailors dropped stones around the spot where the icon was found, slowly creating an islet and building a small chapel. It soon became a tradition for sailors to drop stones in the water around the chapel before a voyage, to contribute to the strength of its foundations and to ask the Virgin Mother to bring them safely home.
Perast Marina
The marina is in Boka Bay, Montenegro and has several small boats that ferry you out to the Our Lady of the Rocks Church.
Departing Old Town Dubrovnik
This is the view when leaving the Old Town port. The fortress walls are to the right of the photo.
Entering Old Town Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Old Town Port is in the eastern part of Dubrovnik City. Old Dubrovnik Port is protected by breakwater Porporela in front of St. John fortress and Kaše breakwater. The smaller cruise ships anchor outside this port and bring you ashore in tenders. The red “boat” that you partially see on the right is the tender that brought us in.
Ston
Ston is an hour’s drive from Dubrovnik on the Pelješac Peninsula. It’s best known for salt works, farmed mussels, and a wall which is the longest defensive structure in Europe; they are sometimes referred to as the ‘European Walls of China”. The parapet show here is where the wall starts and proceeds for another 3.1 miles.
Fortica
In the center top you can see Fortica. The Byzantines built a citadel here in the 6th century, and the Venetians began construction of the present fortress in 1278. It was strengthened in 1551, which may have saved the lives of Hvar’s population, who sheltered here in 1571 when the Turks sacked their town. The Austrians renovated it in the 19th century, adding barracks. Inside there’s a collection of ancient amphorae recovered from the seabed, and a terrace cafe.
