Although it was late in the afternoon we wanted to make the most of this day during the May-day holidays, and so we set off for Miriste in a lovely wooden boat from the jetty in front of the Hotel "Plaza" in Herceg Novi, to visit the island where you can find the monastery of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to visit that unique natural wonder, the Blue Grotto.
After an extremely pleasant trip of some twenty minutes which was spent, apart from looking in wonder at the natural beauty,
in a spot ofangling, which this time was fruitless, our eyes eventually rested on a beautiful little island.
We circled round the island and slowly brought the boat alongside the jetty. We were very warmly received by the only inhabitant of this unique island, Goran the novice, who showed us round the island and pointed out the amazing beauty which can only be seen at this holy place. He showed us the entrance to the Monastery
the church,
and the altar,
and then told us something of the history of the monastery which is believed to date from the 14th century (some say from the 11th) which was confirmed by the monastery seal of that time, found nearby.
From the time of its founding the monastery was constantly in use until a few decades after the arrival of Venice in these parts after which it began slowly to decline. Unfortunately the place remained completely deserted and left to the ravages of time, until the benefactors of this sacred site, the Hamovic family from London initiated and supported the restoration of this unique place.
We will leave you to enjoy these pictures of the islands and the church, which have never been published before.
View of the fortress of Arza.
Apart from Goran the novice seagulls are the only permanent residents ofthis place and they are completely tame like household pets,
and as they have no natural enemies on the island there are many nests between the rocks where they hatch their young.
After seeing the Monastery and the island, and with our hearts full of incredible feelings and the sense of history which one can really feel in this place, we said goodbye to our friendly host and set off towards the Blue Grotto. With many glances back at the islands as we passed by the fortress of "Arza"
on the peninsular of the same name, we slowly sailed towards the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto has two entrances,
the west one, which by its appearance does not lead one to expect the exceptional attractiveness of the place, and the east entrance which is surrounded by unbelievably steep cliffs which rise up 40 meters from sea level and form the real gateway to this unique place.
Many people ask me "why is it called the Blue Grotto?"
I think this picture is sufficient answer as to why this place is so attractive and enticing.There are many sea caves in the world, but the only one you should see at least once in your lifetime is Blue Grotto, located on Lustica, Montenegro.
Gordan Stojovic
Montenegro.com
Although it was late in the afternoon we wanted to make the most of this day during the May-day holidays, and so we set off for Miriste in a lovely wooden boat from the jetty in front of the Hotel "Plaza" in Herceg Novi, to visit the island where you can find the monastery of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to visit that unique natural wonder, the Blue Grotto.
After an extremely pleasant trip of some twenty minutes which was spent, apart from looking in wonder at the natural beauty,
in a spot ofangling, which this time was fruitless, our eyes eventually rested on a beautiful little island.
We circled round the island and slowly brought the boat alongside the jetty. We were very warmly received by the only inhabitant of this unique island, Goran the novice, who showed us round the island and pointed out the amazing beauty which can only be seen at this holy place. He showed us the entrance to the Monastery
the church,
and the altar,
and then told us something of the history of the monastery which is believed to date from the 14th century (some say from the 11th) which was confirmed by the monastery seal of that time, found nearby.
From the time of its founding the monastery was constantly in use until a few decades after the arrival of Venice in these parts after which it began slowly to decline. Unfortunately the place remained completely deserted and left to the ravages of time, until the benefactors of this sacred site, the Hamovic family from London initiated and supported the restoration of this unique place.
We will leave you to enjoy these pictures of the islands and the church, which have never been published before.
View of the fortress of Arza.
Apart from Goran the novice seagulls are the only permanent residents ofthis place and they are completely tame like household pets,
and as they have no natural enemies on the island there are many nests between the rocks where they hatch their young.
After seeing the Monastery and the island, and with our hearts full of incredible feelings and the sense of history which one can really feel in this place, we said goodbye to our friendly host and set off towards the Blue Grotto. With many glances back at the islands as we passed by the fortress of "Arza"
on the peninsular of the same name, we slowly sailed towards the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto has two entrances,
the west one, which by its appearance does not lead one to expect the exceptional attractiveness of the place, and the east entrance which is surrounded by unbelievably steep cliffs which rise up 40 meters from sea level and form the real gateway to this unique place.
Many people ask me "why is it called the Blue Grotto?"
I think this picture is sufficient answer as to why this place is so attractive and enticing.There are many sea caves in the world, but the only one you should see at least once in your lifetime is Blue Grotto, located on Lustica, Montenegro.
Gordan Stojovic
Montenegro.com
