Our Lady of the Rocks, Montenegro, is among the 25 most beautiful places in Europe

The island Our Lady of the Rocks near Perast in Boka Kotorska was included in the list of the 25 most beautiful places in Europe, as the influential magazine “Travel&Leisure” chose.

The popular destination in Montenegro took a high 4th place on this list.

Lady Of the Rocks

The Our Lady of the Rocks Island is a man-made islet boasting a Catholic church and an intriguing legend. According to the tale, in 1452, two fishermen discovered a barely exposed icon of the Virgin Mary in the water on a reef.

The epic finding encouraged believers to visit the reef and drop stones into the water where the icon had appeared. Over the centuries, the ritual’s popularity grew to the point where entire ships were loaded with rocks and sunk into the sea on the very spot of the discovery. All of the stones, rocks, and sunken ships created an island.

In 1632, the Our Lady of the Rocks Church was built on the island. It is centered on the reef in the exact location where the icon appeared. The church is attached to a small museum and a gift shop on the island. The July 22 Fasinada Festival celebrates the legend of how the island came to be. A procession of barges and boats sail out to the island, where people can drop rocks and stones into the sea.

If you wish to learn more about the story of this exciting church and a Perast as a historical jewel of Montenegro, you can read our article about it. 

The “Travel&Leisure” magazine has a network of hundreds of writers and photographers worldwide, regularly providing its readers with local insight into the best places to stay, eat, see, and explore.

They cover small towns and big cities and discover hidden gems and proven destinations, beaches, lakes, mountains and valleys, national parks, cruises, and top gastronomic experiences. You can view the list of the 25 most beautiful places in Europe as chosen by Travel&Leisure HERE.