Our Lady of Loreto.
One of the biggest shrines to the Virgin Mary in the world you can find near the town of Primošten near Šibenik on the Dalmatian coast.
The 17-metre high statue of Our Lady of Loreto is placed on its base on Gaj hill overlooking Primošten.
The statue was designed by architect Aron Varga and mosaic artist Milun Garcevic.
The statue, which is coated in a mosaic pattern made of gold, silver, and stained glass, is made up of seven representative parts, as well as an old Croatian crown studded with precious stones on the head of the statue of Our Lady of Loreto.
The ringed parts of the statue symbolise various things. Starting with religious abstraction, the second part features the symbolic representation of the tree of life. Two hearts feature on the next part of the mosaic, with the birth of Jesus, represented on the fourth.
Irregular geometric shapes adorn the fifth ring of the 17-metre statue, whilst the sixth part consists of the mystic rose as a symbol of Virgin Mary, and olives. At the statue’s base, four biblical rivers will ‘flow’.
This project is unique in Croatia and it has had the blessing of the Holy See and Pope Francis,
Reportedly, the statue is able to be seen from Italy on a clear day.
Old stone walls:
Walking to the cache, you for sure will notice the ruins of a hillfort and stone mounds, dated to Bronze and Iron age (roughly 1000 B.C.). There are assumptions, that hillforts were multifunctional such as fortified settlements of refugium, a place to take shelter from an immediate danger, when the community was threatened. Other interpretations are, that these were meeting places for trade, religious ceremonies orcommunal gatherings. The psychological and and symbolic impact of hillforts is also very presumable, as they were the only monuments buildings,along with stone mounds
The Cache:
The cache is small lock n´´´´ lock container placed under the stone, 4-5 meters from new parapet surrounding the statue area. Please check the photospoiler-NEW and hint.
Happy caching!