Perast

The town of Perast is a jewel. Although now a quiet fishing-village it is a place with a glorious past and was once home to sea captains of great notoriety. These men fiercely protected their freedom against conquerors and pirates on the rampage and their maritime skills were the stuff of legend. The beautiful churches and ornate baroque palaces of these famous sea captains were built at the time Perast's fleet flourished and the town is one of the best preserved baroque areas in the Adriatic.

The two small islets in the Bay of Kotor add further beauty to the scene at Perast. The first, the Benedictine Monastery of St George, is a cemetery where dozens of sea captains were laid to rest. The other is an artificial island with an incredible story: 'Our lady of the Rock' was built by the local people of Perast, who used the hulls of their enemies' ships reinforced with boatload after boatload of stones to form an island. According to a local legend a sea rock icon of Holy Mary with Christ was found by fishermen following a shipwreck near the island and consequently they vowed to build a church on the island and dedicate it to the intercession of the mother of Christ. Every year on the evening of 22 of July this history is re-enacted as locals sing national songs and take stones to the island on processions of small, brightly decorated boats.

The interior of the church is decorated with paintings by local artist Tripo Kokolja (1661-1713) depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. A small building at the back of the church houses a wonderful museum which displays various treasures demonstrating the town's glorious if turbulent history. The museum guide will capture your imagination with some delightful stories from Perast's past.