Female monastery Gospa Od Milo

At the monastery there are living cells, which are home to nuns, various household outbuildings, beautiful garden, as well as the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The whole complex is surrounded by a wall of height 1.5 m.

In the monastery you can see the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, made in the XIV century. It was cut by one of the hermit monks who founded the monastery of Célestins in 1479. The uniqueness of this miraculous figure is that the Virgin is represented in the image of a sitting pregnant woman, sticking rounded tummy by her arms. Here it is the eternal symbol of motherhood ... By giving, she is the patron of the monastery, so the island got its name Gospa od Milo, which means "Our Lady of Mercy."

The monastery was founded in 1479, and since 1524 it was owned by the Franciscan order. In the XVII century the island was sacked by the Turks, but later restored by forces of believers. The Franciscans stayed on the island until 1800, then the monastery was passed to Kotor bishop and Catholic priests settled here.

After the Second World War, the island was taken over by the state. He was passed to the Red Cross, which opened on its base a holiday home for childre. During this time, the entire monastery complex came to a strong decline. In 1967, the island and the monastery was returned to the diocese of Kotor, and here in 1973, restoration work began. Almost renovated complex in 1979 (before Easter) assumed the power of the strongest earthquakes in Montenegro and once again was destroyed almost to the ground.
In the end, somehow miraculously, it was managed to complete the extensive restoration of this beautiful building and now it is open to all comers.

Currently, the island with an ancient monastery complex, church and bell tower is one of the attractions of Tivat Bay. It is a classic example of ancient architecture of Montenegro and every year attracts many tourists from all over the world.

The monastery can be reached by boat by yourself, or with all kinds of group tours, tickets for which can be purchased in the tourist offices or on the waterfront of Tivat.
 

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