
Crkva Gospa od Škrpjela (Church of Our Lady of the Rocks)
'Our Lady of the Rocks' (
Serbian: ''Госпа од шкрпјела'';
Croatian:''Gospa od Škrpjela'') is one of the two
islets off the coast of
Perast in
Bay of Kotor,
Montenegro (Other being
Sveti Đorđe Island). It is an
artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.
The custom of throwing rocks into the sea is alive even nowadays. Every year on the sunset of
July 22, an event called ''fašinada'', when local Croat Catholic residents take their boats and throw rocks into the sea, widening the surface of the island, takes place.
The 'Church of Our Lady of the Rocks' (
Serbian: ''Црква Госпа од шкрпјела'';
Croatian &
Montenegrin: ''Crkva Gospa od Škrpjela'';
Italian: ''Chiesa della Madonna dello Scarpello'') in the
Bay of Kotor is the church built upon the island. The first known church was built on it in
1452, while today's church was built in
1632 and upgraded in
1722.