There are two wonderful islands in the azure waters of the warm Adriatic Sea off the coast of picturesque Montenegro. Each of them is crowned with a magnificent temple, but unlike the artificially created island of Our Lady of the Rocks, St. George Island (Sveti Đorđe) is not the creation of man, but Mother Nature. This fabulous island is adorned with evergreen century-old cedars – symbols of death among the ancient Romans, but symbols of eternal life in Christianity. These tall slender beauties are regular companions of all the Adriatic shrines. On the Montenegrin Island of St. George, they keep the walls of the ancient monastery of the Order of St. Benedict shady from the scorching southern sun.

For the first time, the Benedictine monastery was mentioned in historical documents as the property of the town of Kotor in the middle of the 12th century. However, according to historians' and archaeologists' research, the age of some fragments is about 12 centuries, meaning that this religious structure was built in the 9th century.

Throughout its history, the monastery has been repeatedly attacked and destroyed. First, the inhabitants of Perast killed Abbot Pascal, then the Turkish pirate Karadoz burned the entire monastery, and later Kotor completely lost its power over the Island of St. George, so it came into possession of the Republic of Venice. The island also suffered from the strongest earthquake in the 17th century.

Everyone, for example, the French and Austrians, wanted to possess this amazing island. However, the townspeople managed to recapture their island and restore the ancient Benedictine monastery.

No doubt, it is worth visiting the neighboring island of Our Lady of the Rocks, located just 115 meters from the Island of St. George, entering its ancient church, admiring the miraculous icon of Our Lady of the Rocks and the original 17th-century frescoes. And do not forget to bring a stone with you to contribute to the island's strengthening. Do not break with the several-centuries-old custom!