Our Lady of the Rocks
Our Lady of the Rocks is one of the two islets off the coast of Perast in Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is the largest building on the islet; it has a museum attached. There is also a small gift shop close to the church and a navigation light at the western end of the islet.
Behind the church there is a small museum dedicated to history of Perast. The courtyard in front is known as “Place of Reconciliation.” Today the small island church acts as a sort of cultural center of Catholics of Boka. It has served for public gatherings and as a place where local disputes were settled, most importantly blood feuds between the catholic families of Boka, preventing many vendettas.
According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on July 22, 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the islet gradually emerged from the sea. The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of July 22, an event called fašinada in the local dialect, when local residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place.
Gradina Martinicima located east of Spuz in Montenegro, is the ruins of the fortress before the Nemanjic dynasty. It is located on a hill on the edge of the valley of the Zeta River.
Not mentioned in the historical sources, as Gradina Martinicima occurs only in the recent literature. There was probably during the Great Migration and the arrival of the Slavs in this part of the Balkans. The local tradition is mentioned as the place where he was born father Stefan Nemanja, Zavida…
In the northern part of Gradina, are the remains of the great basilica. During the archaeological investigations, it was found in a large number of pre-Romanesque bas-relief stone sculpture, whose analysis confirms that it is a representative sacred object, resulting in X or XI century.
Castleof King Nikola
Castleof King Nikola was built in 1885 on the seashore. The palace was a present from King Nikola to his daughter Princess Zorka and his son-in-law Prince Petar Karađorđević. It consisted of a large palace, a little palace, a chapel, guardhouses and a winter garden. In 1910 a spacious ballroom was built in the palace. As part of the palace, there is a park with many different species of Mediterranean vegetation, among them a cork tree. In front of the palace, there was a wooden pier, which served as a mooring for boats and yachts. During the period between 1866 and 1916 King Nikola owned ten yachts. One of them, named “Sibil” was bought from novelist Jules Verne, while the last yacht he bought, called “Rumija” was sunk in 1915 by the Austro-Hungarian navy in the area of today’s harbour. Here, one can also find a large flower garden, made of a stainless steel structure of interesting shape, which was given as a present by the Italian king, Emanuel, and which is nowadays used as the restaurant called “Knjaževa bašta” (“The Duke’s Garden”). Nowadays, the palace building complex is used as the Homeland Museum of the City of Bar, as well as for festivals (concerts, exhibitions and literary events).
The remains of the medieval town, built in the 15th century. It is located at a distance of about 10 km north-west of Bar, on an inaccessible hill overlooking the sea above with the altitude of 225 m. It was first mentioned in 1542, built by the Venetians. In the town there is St. Dimitrije’s church from the 13th century, with two altars (Orthodox and Catholic), older then the fortification.
Old town Bar
Situated on a steep cliff, in the base of mountain Rumija. Defensive position and a source of drinking water, were the most important reasons why the old Bar, unlike other cities on the coast, is at about 4 km away from the coast. The oldest parts are on the protruding plateau of a cliff, where there is the town gate from 10th-11th century. Not far away, separated from the inhabited part, is Citadela, which had exclusively defensive character. In the town you can still find the remains of many churches of different styles from different periods. The foundations of the Roman-Gothic cathedral of St. Djordje from 11th century are preserved, then two Gothic churches of St. Katarine and St. Venerande. From the Turkish period there is a powder magazine and amam (bath). The western part of the town was found later, first in 14th century, then at the time of Venetian rule in the 16th century. In this part of town are the ruins of St. Nikola’s church, which was probably erected in the 13th century by Jelena Anzujska, wife of Serbian king Uros. On a small crossroad square in the downtown area, is a well-preserved church dedicated to St. Jovan Vladimir.
Outside the town, north of the upper fortress, are well-preserved remains of the aqueduct from the 16th and the 17th century, waterworks that brought water from the mountains to the town. The most recent archaeological excavations revealed pottery from 8th-6th century BC, from the time when here was an Illyrian settlement.
Dzamija-Omerbasica is located in the Old Town of Bar. It was constructed in 1662. Its structure is rather simple, with rectangular base, and minaret built next to the south-west wall.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Derviš Hasan’s domed burial site was built beside the mosque, at the entrance to the complex. The smaller ground floor building was built next to it and was used as a residential building. A public fountain was constructed near the entrance and later, a mosque house for a Muslim priest or imam was built as well. The whole area is surrounded by a stone wall. Of the significant cultural and historical monuments in this area, the following are especially valuable: the Holy Mother`s Church (village of Gluhi Do), the Church of St. Jovan and St. Archangel (village of Donja Seoca on the shore of Skadar Lake), the Church of St. Jovan and St. Mihailo (a two-nave church at the community cemetery in the village of Sotonići), the Church of St. Nikola and St. Jovan (a two-nave church next to the road Virpazar-Bar at the village of Boljevići), the Orahovo Monastery (at the village of Orahovo), Grmožur Fortress (an island in Godinje bay at Skadar Lake), the Church of St. Marija (swell Gretva, 300m from Old Bar), the Church of St. Marko (3km north of Old Bar).
Trikonos of the Town of Bar
Trikonos of the Town of Bar it’s actually a church building, which according to some historical sources dates from the sixth century, ie the period of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Located in the center of the village of Bara in Topolica. Preserved walls of the church building are about 1 meter in length. It is interesting to point out that so far on several occasions at the point where the Bar trihonkos, carried out various researches. While recent research papers, there were found fragments of decorative stone sculptures and a necropolis.
Njegoš’ mausoleum on Lovćen mountain
Mausoleum was opened in 1974. In order to reach it, one should go 20km from Cetinje and then climb 461 stairs. That road, like pilgrimage, is a unique experience. At the entrance at the chapel, the central parts of the monument are two figures of Montenegrin women made of black granite, just like caryatides. Inside, six side niches and one central niche are made of marble form Boka and Brač. The vault is covered by mosaic of 200.000 gilded tiles. The sitting figure of Njegoš, with an open book, work by Ivan Meštrović. Marble sarcophagus of bishop Rade is simple, with chiselled cross and state coat of arms, the symbols of spiritual and secular authority.
Tablja of Cetinje, defence tower built in 1883 by Petar II Petrovic Njegoš was located at the elevation immediately above the Monastery of Cetinje, where there was presumably a fortification in VI century BC. Tablja was a circular construction, it was most probably never finished. It was supposed to provide space for 24 guards with all the cannons. Instead for defence purposes, it was used for firing salvo when important guests visited Cetinje. Also, until 185 Turkish decapitated heads were shown on it as war trophies. Later on it was turned into bell tower, from which the big bell sounded (1631,5 kg – a gift from Lazar Urošević from Zemun) during main holidays and for greeting guests of honour. It was brought down in 1938, while arranging plateau for construction of the minster. Remnants were used to build a small simple bell tower at a nearby rock.