Abbey
of St. George
Established by the Benedictines, the abbey was
first mentioned in 1166 in documents describing the consecration of
the new, second Romanesque church of St. Tryphon in Kotor. The
occasion was attended by, among others, Ivan, the abbot of St.
George. However, in studying various ornamentation on this
structure, it can be concluded that the abbey was already in use by
the Benedictines as early as the 9th century. Except for certain
details, the appearance of the old church has not been preserved.
The island was constantly under attack both by invaders and
earthquakes, especially the great earthquake of 1667 when the
ceiling and apse collapsed during the Easter service. Following
this catastrophe, a simple church was built. Its tombstones contain
a unique collection of heraldic emblems from the casadas of Perast.
It remained a burial place until 1866, when a new graveyard was
built in the northern part of the town. The church once housed
paintings dating from 1327 and 1457; the latter painted by Lovro
Marinov Dobricevic, a famous painter from Kotor.
The abbey of St. George had been under the jurisdiction of Kotor
until 1634 when patronage of the island was transferred to the
Senate of Venice. In 1571, the pirate Karadoz burnt down the abbey
as well as the whole town. The people of Perast began repairs on
the church in 1603. In 1812, for about a year, the abbey was taken
over by the French who were later expelled by the inhabitants of
Perast from both the Fortress of St. Cross and the abbey. In 1814,
the abbey was taken over by the Austrians.
Our
Lady of the Rock
Our Lady of the Rock lies about 115 m (377
feet) northeast of the island of St. George. The stone plateau in
the middle of the sea with a church on it is the result of the
enduring efforts of generations of mariners “… to
leave there, in the very heart of the Bay of Boka Kotorska, a
testimony of their Christian faith and culture…”
The island was built artificially by scuttling old ships and
depositing stones around a small crag. The name of the island
derived from the word skrpjel – an old word for a crag. The
construction of a sanctuary began in the first century of the
Venetian rule. The sanctuary was dedicated to the Assumption of the
Virgin because this cult was greatly venerated by the
Venetians.
The original church was built in the mid-15th century and was of
modest proportions. Over the centuries, the “island”
was constantly enlarged and reinforced by both deposits of stones
and scuttled sailing ships until it provided a sufficient base for
a bolder architectural undertaking. Most of the present-day church
was erected after the great earthquake of 1667 when the original
sanctuary was destroyed. It is a single-nave, modestly proportioned
church in the Byzantine style. An octagonal 11m domed presbytery
and a bell tower were added circa 1725. These gave the Our Lady of
the Rock the distinctive baroque appearance that can be seen today.
The interior of the church was decorated by Tripo Kokolja, a famous
17th-century painter from Perast. On the altar is the famous icon
of Our Lady of the Rock, a 15th century work by Lovro Marinov
Dobricevic. It is the most valuable work of art in the church
because its history is so closely related to that of the
island.
The
cache
The box is hidden of the "Our Lady of the Rock"
island in the bay of Kotor. The island is easily available from the
town Perast by boot. The cache is near the exit of the museum not
on 0m see level.
The hiding
place is busy in the day time. Watch out for muggles!
Please rehide it exactly as found and bring your own
pen!
Happy
Hunting!
Small note on cache
maintenance:
-If there are any problems with the cache, my friend "Nebojska"
will assist. Thanks!
-Thank you very much for your help my friend
kupec maintenance of my cache. My friend is working in Bosnia
and Herzegovina once a month, travel to Montenegro, Podgorica city.
Thanks!