Description of the attraction
The island of St. George, or the Island of the Dead, is located near the small Montenegrin town of Perast, Boko-Kotor Bay. It was not created artificially, but has a natural origin.
The town is famous for the fact that there was a nautical school in which the sons of Russian noblemen were trained in naval affairs under the patronage of the Russian Emperor Peter the Great. A picturesque cypress grove grows on the island.
The name of the island comes from the Benedictine abbey of St. George, which was located here. As historians have found out, the construction of the abbey dates back to the 9th century. Almost nothing remained of the old church of St. George - the island was constantly bombed by the invaders, and as a result of the earthquake in 1667, the ceiling and apse were destroyed. The island is the burial place of the famous captains of Perast, therefore, unique heraldic emblems are collected on the tombstones of the church cemetery.
At one time, the walls of the church were decorated with paintings from 1327-1457. The last canvases were painted by Lovro Marinov Dobrishevich, a famous painter from the city of Kotor. In the 14-16 centuries, the rights to rule the Abbey of St. George were just in Kotor, but then the abbot appointed by Kotor was killed by the people of Perast, the city gained independence, but was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. And then, in 1571, he was burned along with the monastic abode by the pirate Karadoz. In 1603, the church was restored, and after a few decades Perast reaches its highest point of prosperity thanks to Venetian control. At the beginning of the 19th century, the abbey was occupied either by the French or by the Austrians.
The Island of the Dead has its own sad, but romantic legend, according to which a soldier of the French army, firing a cannon in the direction of Perast, accidentally hit the house of his beloved, she died, and he expressed a desire to lie in the coffin with her.
Today, official visits to the Isle of the Dead are prohibited, but many locals or tourists disregard the ban and come to the island to touch the old walls and wander around the famous cemetery.
German romantic and painter Arnold Boklin, inspired by the island of St. George, painted the world famous painting "The Island of the Dead". The canvas depicts a boat driven by Charon, and in front there is a huge, gloomy island, on both sides of it grave crypts loom, which are carved into solid rock.
Description added:
Dmitri Gouzevitch 2016-17-02
There is practically no cemetery on the island - it has been destroyed. In its place are two monastery courtyards with cypresses and palm trees. The gravestone of the founder of the monastery (without inscriptions) was preserved in front of the church, and there are also a number of burials in the church itself. Almost the only surviving grave - as I claim
Show all text The cemetery on the island is practically nonexistent - it has been destroyed. In its place are two monastery courtyards with cypresses and palm trees. The gravestone of the founder of the monastery (without inscriptions) was preserved in front of the church, and there are also a number of burials in the church itself. Almost the only surviving grave, it is said, is Marko Martinovic on the northwestern tip of the island, inside the monastery walls.
Now the island belongs to the Catholic Church and is closed for visits, because there is a kind of rest house for Catholic priests. So, in the summer of 2011 there was a commune of 17 priests on vacation.
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