Description of the attraction
In the Church of St. Petka, unlike other temples in Montenegro, two altars coexist. This is due to the fact that Orthodox and Catholic services were held here. Two-altar churches are a unique phenomenon characteristic of the spiritual traditions of Montenegro. It demonstrates a high degree of tolerance of Montenegrins towards religion, as well as friendly relations among different denominations.
The Church of St. Petka is located next to the highway in the direction of the Adriatic Gulf. The temple is located a couple of kilometers from Sutomore, in the village of Zagradzhe, and was erected in the XIV century.
During the civil war that erupted in the 1990s, a Catholic altar facing the west was thrown out of the church. On the territory of the former Yugoslavia, this act was motivated by the fact that the Catholic altar was created in the church during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. Nevertheless, local residents are convinced that joint services have been held here since ancient times. The subsequent post-war litigation in this barbaric case led to the fact that, since 1995, the church has again been allowed to hold services of both Orthodox and Catholic denominations. This verdict is perceived by local residents as a return to historical roots.
Today the owners of the temple are officially the episcopate of Kotor and the Metropolitanate of the Montenegrin-Primorsky region.
