"Gospa od Skrpjela" Gospa od Skrpjela by Biljana

Gospa od Skrpjela (from the Italian Madonna dello Scarpello) is a baroque church located deep in the Bay of Kotor. The small island where the church is located is right across from the town of Perast. The island is man-made. The original church was built there in 1452. The present church was built in 1632 and enlarged in 1722.

According to legend, the island was made over the centuries by the seamen who kept an ancient oath. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the Bay. Over time, the island gradually emerged from the sea. Our Lady of the Rocks was seen on this site.

The church contains 68 magnificent paintings by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century baroque artist from Perast. His most important painting, ten meters long, is The Death of the Virgin. There are also paintings by Italian artists, and an icon (circa 1452) of Our Lady of the Rocks, by Lovro Dobricevic of Kotor.