Idea #267 – Visiting the village of Perast in Montenegro
The village of Perast in Montenegro (in Italian, Perasto) is a charming and peaceful town, situated on the north bank of the Bouches of Kotor, at the end of the course which separates the gulf of Kotor of the gulf of Risan, in front of the strait of Chains (Tjesnac Verige, Stretto delle Catene in Italian), which takes its name of the metallic chains stretched out at the XVIIth century in the entrance of the gulf, to prevent the passage of maritime pirates. In 1420, the village passed under the Venetian domination, which keept it until 1797.
In the XVth and XVIth century, the republic made establish about ten independent watchtowers, called ” cardaci “. The Italian influence is seeing on the facades of its nineteen baroque palaces, witnesses of its former greatness, and its seventeen Roman Catholic Churches, in particular the church St Nicholas’ Day the bell tower of which overhangs the main place. Installed in the middle of the village, in front of the sea, the church Sveti Nikola was built between the XVth and the XVIIth century, on the plans of the Italian Guiseppe Beati in a baroque style of the XVIIth century. Never finished, the church distinguishes itself by its impressive bell tower, the highest of the bay of Kotor. An inscription, placed over the entrance gate, commemorates the defeat of the Turks in 1657, after the Venetians had conquered Herceg-Novi and Risan: ” Christianae Reipublicae Triumphanti “.
The village considers more than about ten palaces, having belonged to captains of ships and shipowners, scattered along the sea front and on the sides of the hill Saint-Élie. These luxurious buildings still dominate the urban landscape of Perast. The most famous are the palaces of families Martinovic, Zmajevic, Bujovic, Viskovic, Mazarovic, Balovic, Smekija … Off Perast are two islands : to the left, the island to the Deaths, with the monastery Saint-Georges, planted by cypress and sheltering the cemetery of the village and a small monastery, and, to the right, the island Notre-Dame-du-Rocher which welcomes a Benedictine monastery. The city, in the particularly well protected baroque architecture, is classified on the UNESCO world heritage list.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Perast, Kotor, Montenegro.
Larger Map