Gospa od Škrpjela

The main occupation of citizens of Perast in the past was seafaring. When praying and giving thanks, the mariners called upon Our Lady of the Rocks, the patron saint of all those who live from the sea. The Lady's sanctuary was and still is a safe-heaven for seafarers. They named their ships after her, carried her picture on the lids of their chests, and when passing by her island on their way to a long voyage, they would cross their sails, stop the ship, and fire a gun salute. They would raise a large flag three times, as a sign of recognition, and the bells on the shrine's bell tower would toll in salute. It is an old custom for ships passing in or out through Verige to honk their horn in salute of the shrine. There was no ship in Boka whose crew did not pray in front of Our Lady's painting before a voyage and did not come to pay tribute to her, thanking her for her help and pro­tection. Once safely back on home soil, they would also first head for the shrine to thank Our Lady of the Rocks.

The shrine's central hall exhibits the most valuable part of the collection of votive paintings of ships - 63 paintings to be exact. The scenes portray the traditional life of the citizens of Perast and Boka on the sea, from the 17^th to the 20t^h century. They help preserve memories of famous, dramatic ad­ventures. A successful struggle against forces of nature or pirates and other enemies was given its artistic record, which, in the shade of the Shrine, reminds visitors to this day that seafarer's bread has "nine crusts".

Many mariners' votive paintings are remembered and kept in the shrine of Our Lady of the Rocks. Many mariners lived through storms, pirate attacks, and dangers of war thanks to the protection of Our Lady. Some of these events were recorded in writing, while many more were simply remembered.

Niko Lazarević. During a battle against two Turkish ships near Hios, in Levant, on the 22^nd of January, 1695, he invoked the help of Our Lady of the Rocks. Although he was wounded in this battle, he survived and returned home.

Petar Šestanović. In 1670, he served as a slave on a galley belonging to a Turkish pasha. During a storm, when the galley began sinking, he invoked the help of Our Lady of the Rocks, and the entire crew was saved.

Petar Batalušić. Arriving on April 14^th, 1685 on Luka Mazarović's ship from Dalmatia, he was attacked near Molunt by seven ships of Turks from Herceg Novi. After a bloody struggle, having invoked the help of Our Lady of the Rocks, "our eternal protector", he managed to win. The record of this battle was written by J. Balović.

Captain Đuro Ban from Perast was attacked on December 25^th, 1716 near Drač by a large North African tartana, accompanied by 50 pirates from Drač. After a long battle that lasted ten hours, «by the mercy and grace of Our Lady of the Rocks», the pirate ship was beaten. The Turks left 86 dead, and the citizens of Perast freed five slaves. Fifteen of Ban's sailors that remained unharmed captured the remaining 68 Turks and took them to Corfu, to Andrija Pisanij, who wrote about it to the Senate.

Vicko Smeća, the well-known sailor and shrine's benefactor, on his way from Zant to London on his ship Leon Coronato survived a storm that took place on September 25^th, 1771. A large wave threw sailor Šimun Zuanov Novaković into the raging sea 150 miles from Zant. The crew lowered a bridge and a life boat into the sea, and the sailor fought the waves for three hours, at the distance of six miles from the ship. Exhausted, he invoked the help of Our Lady of the Rocks, and was able to survive.

Petar Smeća, Vicko's son, survived a storm that took place from the 24^th to the 27^th of February, 1746 off the coast of Spain, on the same ship. Invoking the help of Our Lady of the Rocks, he saved the ship.

On September 6^th, 1747, near Sevarra, North Africa, the ship Spirito Santo, captained by Josip Bronza from Perast, and manned by a crew of 31 sailors and 23 soldiers, was attacked by three xebecs and five large Tunisian galleys, strengthened by 16000 men. After a full four and a half hours of a bloody battle, under the protection of Our Lady, who was especially honored by Bronza, they won with only five casualties and 14 wounded men. Some 400 of the enemy died, and 132 were wounded. The Captain was knighted, and the crew commended.

Austrian trabaccolo, Andriana, under the command of Captain Andrija Širović from Perast, sailed through severe storm on November 12, 1868, 35 miles away from Port Said.

The crew invoked the help of Our Lady of the Rocks. Both the ship and the crew were saved.

The citizens of Dobrota were especially known for their reverence of Our Lady of the Rocks. Captain Božo Dabinović from Dobrota invoked her help on December 4^th, 1873, when moored in Mingrelia, and was saved.

Many similar events occurred during the 17^th and 18t^h centuries, when sailors from Perast often fought against pirates and storms. The captains from Perast would, at the moment of greatest peril, hang a picture of Our Lady of the Rocks on the mast.