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THE JEWEL OF MONTENEGRO - PERAST


Montenegro means Black Mountain and we had heard that the country is as beautiful as it is unique. The proximity of Montenegro to Dubrovnik tempted us to reserve a day trip to this Balkan country. The intent was to drive by the Bay of Kotor and experience some of the towns along the coast. It took us little more than two hours to catch the first glimpse of the Bay. The border check at the Croatian and Montenegrin borders was smooth and took no more than ten minutes. Astonishingly beautiful, it is not a surprise that this Bay is rated as one of the most beautiful of it's kind in the world. Also known as Boka, the Bay of Kotor forms a beautiful link between the Adriatic Sea and Montenegro. Crystal clear waters with visibility reaching to the bottom, the Boka is surrounded by two mountains - Orjen to the west and Lovcen to the east. Some really beautiful medieval towns are well preserved in this region. We had shortlisted Perast, the UNESCO heritage of Kotor and Budwa - arguably three of the most popular names in the region. This post is about Perast.

Perast, a tiny fishing village believed to be founded by the Ancient Greeks, continued  to prosper as a maritime town from the fifteenth century as it came under the Venetian influence. But, following Napoleon's victory over the Republic of Venice in the 18th century, Perast witnessed fall of prosperity and the regional disturbance continued in the background of multiple political influence including those of the French and the Austro Hungarian Empires, the world wars and then the Yugoslavian era. By the time sustainable peace returned, it was almost the end of the twentieth century. 
This small town is famous for it's two islets in the Bay - St. George and the Lady of our rocks. A  short boat ride takes to the islets. 
Perast was known for its strong naval presence in the medieval era and some of the best seafarers of the era belonged to this place. It is believed that the medieval mariners of this region kept an oath of laying a stone after each successful voyage...following the sighting of an icon of the "Madonna and Child"  on a rock in the region during the fifteenth century. Years turned into decades and eventually, by the accumulation of the stones the islet emerged. Subsequent  sinking of some old ships helped the islet get it's shape and a Roman Catholic Church was built on it...and was named The Church of Our Lady of the Rocks. The Church was renovated during the early eighteenth century and houses some important paintings and artifacts of the region. The Church also houses a famous tapestry woven by a Perast local named Jacinta. As per the legends, Jacinta took years weaving golden and silver fibers as she waited for her partner to return. Apparently she had embroidered her own hair into the tapestry. 

St. George, the other islet is a stone's throw away. Unlike the Lady of the Rocks, this one is a natural islet. This islet houses the graveyard of the Perast nobility and a twelfth century Benedictine Monastery.
Perast, as a town, houses no more than a few hundred people. And this lends a sort of exclusivity to the town. Some other destinations of the town includes the St. Nikola church, the Smekja Palace and a museum. We spend some time walking on the streets of Perast and then proceeded to the next town. Perast is indeed beautiful and unique.

The post wont be complete without a video of this Montenegrin jewel with its islets... and the water and the mountains.

This post is for alphabet ‘M' of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2020 challenge:
 M for Montenegro

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