Hotels near Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Skrpjela)

Sitting offshore from the baroque village of Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Skrpjela) is the only artificial island in the Adriatic and the most-photographed religious site in Montenegro. Local legend dates the island's creation to 1452, when two seafaring brothers found an icon of the Madonna on a sea rock; sailors then dropped stones around the spot for centuries - and sank captured pirate ships - until enough land was built to support a church.

The current 17th-century church is small but unusually rich inside: it holds 68 baroque oil paintings by the Perast-born painter Tripo Kokolja, an embroidered icon stitched by a local woman over 25 years using her own hair, and a votive collection of silver plaques given by grateful sailors. A water taxi from the Perast waterfront costs about 5 EUR each way.

Pro Tip: Combine the visit with the neighbouring natural island of Sveti Djordje, which you can photograph from the boat but cannot land on - it is a private Benedictine cemetery. The Perast-island-Perast loop fits comfortably into a 90-minute half-day from Kotor.