On the water
Boat ride from Perast
A few minutes on the water from the Perast waterfront to the island's pier.
The votive island of Perast's seafarers
Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela) is an island made by people: according to tradition, after Perast fishermen found an icon of the Virgin on a sea rock on 22 July 1452, seafarers spent centuries sinking stones and old ships around it.
Today the island holds a Catholic church with an octagonal dome and a round bell tower, a museum and a small navigation light. Inside are 68 paintings by the Perast Baroque painter Tripo Kokolja and more than two thousand silver votive plaques. Boats from Perast reach it in a few minutes.
Highlights
The church was built in 1630 and damaged in the 1667 earthquake. It was rebuilt with a chapel under an octagonal dome, which holds the main altar of 1722, and took its present form in 1725. The round bell tower is visible from far out on the water. The main altar keeps the icon of the Virgin and Child attributed to the Kotor painter Lovro Dobričević.
The Perast Baroque painter Tripo Kokolja (1661–1713) made 68 paintings for the church – on the ceiling, the walls and around the altar. The scenes from the life of the Virgin follow a programme devised by Andrija Zmajević, a Perast priest and later Archbishop of Bar. The largest canvas, the Death of the Virgin, is about ten metres long.
The church walls are covered with more than two thousand silver votive plaques. Sailors and their families gave them in thanks – many show ships in a storm. A common inscription reads Votum feci, gratiam accepi (I made a vow, I received grace).
The museum shows an embroidery of the Virgin and Child signed by Hijacinta Kunić, née Mijović, in 1828. It is stitched in silk with gold and silver thread, and for the angels' hair the embroiderer, tradition says, used her own hair. Tradition also holds that she worked on it for many years while waiting for her beloved to return from sea.
Every 22 July at dusk a convoy of decorated boats loaded with stones sets out from Perast. The boats are tied together, and when they reach the island the stones are thrown into the sea around its shore. This is how the island is still maintained, and the custom ends with prayer and song. You can watch from the Perast waterfront or from a boat.
Explore More
A few hundred metres away stands Sveti Đorđe (St George), a natural island with a Benedictine monastery from the 12th century and an old cemetery of Perast's nobility. Unlike Our Lady of the Rocks, it is usually not open to visitors – it is best seen from a boat or from the pier of Our Lady of the Rocks.
What to do
On the water
A few minutes on the water from the Perast waterfront to the island's pier.
Culture
Kokolja's paintings, the main altar with the icon and the wall of silver votive plaques.
Culture
Votive paintings of ships, objects from Perast houses and Hijacinta Kunić's embroidery.
From the pier you see the neighbouring island with its Benedictine monastery.
Hiking, walking and cycling routes that start here or pass nearby, with maps and GPX downloads.
Top Biking Trail 1 – SALTY AND SWEET is a very demanding one-way cycling route 406.3 km long. It passes by Perast and Dobrota and through Lovćen National Park and Durmitor National Park.
406 km10,191 m6–8 days
View trail
EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route – Montenegro Section is a cycling route 195.0 km long from Njivice to Sukobin. It runs on asphalt, has 3,259 m of ascent and passes through the coastal area, Lovćen National Park and Lake Skadar.
195 km3,259 m2–3 days
View trail
An easy one-way hiking trail, 2.1 km long. It offers two viewpoints and a descent of 355 m to the Lepetane bus stop.
2.1 km50–70 min
View trail
The Coastal Hiking Transversal connects Herceg Novi and Bar over a distance of 88.4 km, with a total ascent of 4606 m. It is marked and intended for experienced hikers; the estimated walking time without breaks is 33 h 50 min.
88.4 km4,606 m4–6 days
View trail
An easy one-way hiking tour, 3.4 km long, connecting Donja Lastva and Gornja Lastva. The highest point is at 301 m above sea level, and the ascent takes about 1 h 25 min without breaks.
3.4 km291 m1–1½ h
View trail
The hiking trail from Vrmac Fortress via Bogdašići to Gornja Lastva is 9.5 km long. It is of moderate difficulty, with a total ascent of 414 m and descent of 592 m, and passes viewpoints, a church and springs.
9.5 km414 m3–4½ h
View trail
An easy walking trail in Tivat, 8.9 km long, with 81% asphalt/concrete surface and a small elevation gain. It passes by Belane beach, Kalardovo beach, a drinking fountain, and the Church of Saint Michael; estimated duration is 2 h 20 min.
8.9 km53 m2–3 h
View trail
Trail 747 is an easy hiking trail with a length of 3.3 km. The highest point is at 862 m a.s.l., the lowest at 14 m a.s.l., and the total descent is 843 m. Duration without breaks is approximately 2 h 10 min.
3.3 km23 m2–2½ h
View trailGallery
Plan your stay
Live offers from local hosts on our booking platform. Nothing is charged online — you pay the host on site.
Booking requests are confirmed by the host; payment on site. Offers come from the Travel to Montenegro booking platform.
Plan Your Visit
Church and museum hours change with the season – check on the Perast waterfront or on the island.
Landing on the island is free; the museum has a ticket sold on site. The boat from Perast is paid separately.
Parking is at the entrance to Perast; walk to the waterfront and the boat landing.
Getting in and out of the boat onto the stone pier needs a little agility; the island itself is small, flat and paved with stone.
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