Our Lady of Skrpjelo

Our Lady of Skrpjelo, the island in front of Perast is an artificial island made at the end of the 15th century where, at least according to tradition, the Moršić brothers found a picture of Our Lady on a cliff in Risan Bay on July 22, so in 1452 the people of Perast decided to build Orthodox the temple of the Mother of God. Stones were thrown around the cliffs and a small chapel was built. Then, in Fašinada, a traditional custom, they poured stones for centuries, sank dilapidated boats and Turkish ships, so that over time the surface of the island expanded more and more. Today it has about three thousand square meters and on it is the church of Our Lady of Skrpjelo.

Today's church of Our Lady of Skrpjelo, after which the island is named, was built in 1630 by the Venetians and is one of the most important historical and cultural monuments of the Bay of Kotor. It is the cultural center of Bokelj. The most intensive works on the church were carried out from 1720 to 1725, when an eight-sided presbytery with a dome and a round bell tower with horizontal cornices and loopholes were made according to the design of the then famous Ilija Katičić. Petar Dubrovčanin and Vuk Kandiot also took part in the construction.