Our Lady of the Rocks

Ceiling of Our Lady of the Rocks Church

Gospa od Skrpjela or Our Lady of the Rocks island is an artificial islet on Kotor Bay. Local lore tells the story of two fishermen who found an icon of the Madonna and Child on a rock in the bay and vowed to build a church where they had found it. From 1452 onward, seamen from Perast and Kotor brought large stones to the site to build up the islet. Today, the tradition of bringing stones to the island continues with the fašinada which is celebrated annually at sunset on July 22.

Madonna and Child, Lovro Dovričević, 15th century

Altar by Antonio Capelano, Carrara marble

A Roman Catholic chapel was built on the islet in 1630. The church we see today is from 1722.

Mary on her deathbed

Many frescoes in the Church were painted by Tripo Kokolja, an artist from Perast.

Choir

Notice the silver votive tablets that were offered by sailors to the Virgin Mary for a safe journey. Hundreds of these votives adorn the church.

There is a museum adjacent to the Church with artefacts related to the history of Perast. The entrance fee is €2.

View of the Church from the rear

Gift shop on the island

The Navigation light

It rained all day during my visit and not good at all for taking pictures. Kotor Bay (Boka) is surrounded by towering mountains providing a dramatic background for the bay. I wish I could go back on a sunny day to fully appreciate this magical place.

Sveti Djordje or The Island of the Dead Captains

Sveti Djordje or St. George Island is a natural island and home to the Benedictine Monastery. Local sea captains were buried here in the 18th century, hence the tag, “island of the dead”. The island is closed to visitors. This image was taken from Our Lady of the Rocks islet.

How to get to Our Lady of the Rocks Island

Perast

There are many small boats from Perast harbor that take visitors to the island for €10 roundtrip (price in April 2022). It takes about 10 minutes to reach the island from Perast. If you arrive by car, there are parking lots by the waterfront.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963, Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...

Masaganang Ani by Vicente Silva Manansala

Masaganang Ani (Bountiful Harvest), oil on canvas, 1962 The International Rice Institute of the Philippines (IRRI) was founded in the Philippines in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with the support of the Philippines government. The goal of IRRI is “to improve livelihoods, abolish poverty, hunger and malnutrition among those who depend on rice based agri-food systems”. Their headquarters is in Los Baños, Laguna. These two Manansala large scale paintings were commissioned by IRRI in 1962 to depict Filipino life, labor and leisure activities. The paintings were hung on the walls of the dining room and cafeteria at its headquarters. These weren’t ideal places to hang the canvasses because the smoke from the kitchen and the cleaning solutions used by the staff threatened the paintings. They are now on loan to the National Museum of the Philippines which declared these two masterpieces as National Cultural Treasures. In Masaganang Ani, Manansala chose themes celebrating th...

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog