SV. ILIJE


It isn't the greatest mystery in the world but we were curious as to why the sign pointed to:

                 

......and after we parked the car on this precipitously steep road pull-off, we got out we walked up to this small chapel....

                

Cute. Out of the way. Curiously looking like a Taco Bell. But there is was....I'm assuming it was SV. MARIJE......probably St. Mary.

It's not that unusual to come across a place of devotion on an isolated stretch of road or a mountain road curve. The locals had marked it well. It was noticeable from the road and they even had a pull-off for cars.....not an easy thing to do on the treacherous winding road.

But, stop we did and we walked up to the stone church with the red tiled roof and twin steel bells...which I could have RUNG! Though I figured that would call the local gendarme and we'd be in trouble. So we looked at the quaint, though Spartan exterior of the locked up church.

Then we spotted this sign:

         

SV. ILIJE 500 meters....can't quite figure the XVI St......16th street?.....the nearest street was in the village below........

                          
The village of Korita

Korita was a half mile below and we looked 500 meters to the east of the small chapel and spotted this:


Look closely and you'll see Makaila walking up a cemented, blasted out path along the mountainside....and if you look very closely....you'll see an even smaller chapel than St. Mary on the ridge beneath the large tree.

Before arriving at the second tiny chapel....we marveled at the pathway. There were indications that they had blasted the rocks and cleared a path and then poured cement.....all so they could have a 500 meter path between a small chapel #1 and then smaller chapel #2.

           

Who would do such a thing?

I know the photos and the distance between the chapels and the distance from Korita to the mountain top do not seem that daunting ..... But we've been here for several days and you just don't find finished paths blasted and carved out of the mountain rock on this island, such as there are between the two chapels.
    
Yet, it was an easy and hot walk to Chapel #2 with the name of SV. ILIJE and this is what we found....

           

Another chapel. Locked. A bell...and the rope for the bell was there for any and all to ring. Once again I declined for fear of alarming the good folks of Korita in the village below.

Standing beside this second chapel one could see this.....

           

The Adriatic Sea and the coastline of the mainland of Croatia.

                        

And the return path to Chapel #1.

This is perhaps not the greatest mystery nor the most amazing faith journey. It hardly rivals the Camino de Santiago in the Pyrenees of Spain nor my drive to church each day. We had just been to the coastal town of Saplunara and were driving our rental car on the excellent, though treacherous road which snakes through the island...and particularly hair-pin-type curves as road signs warn.... "Serpentina".....indicating the road winds like a serpent.

We expended no more energy than locking the emergency brake on the car and exploring the desolate and yet beautiful mountain top. 

But it still makes me wonder. 

Did they decide if one chapel pleased God, perhaps two chapels would please God all the more?


Perhaps

                  


Peace,  Bob




          



      

     


       



   

Comments

  1. Barb A.September 7, 2017 at 6:19 AM

    More beautiful pictures! Almost as quaint as by childhood church in Long Bottom, Ohio! Bucolic!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wrap Up for Croatia 2017

Image
Time to wrap up everything and though I may not have the most comprehensive list of remembrances....here is what I've learned. Best Wall That's an easy one. Everyone whom I know who has visited Croatia has gone to Dubrovnik. I guess the Cruise Ships stop there and so it's popular ... And everyone said that I must walk the Ancient City Wall. They were right. It takes in a mile or more and is straight out of a Hollywood adventure movie. Is that really the color of the Adriatic?   Yes it is...at least it is in Sobra on the Island of Mljet. Every morning we would see this very old couple get in this boat and go out to sea or some other island and return in the evening with fish.....and several bags of cut tree branches and logs. The bags would then set on the stairs near our house...and then disappear. It may have been mysterious or it may have been kindling for the wood fired ovens of the restaurants.         The above view from our Air BnB room in Sobra. Best view...
Read more

Around Every Corner and Canal - Venice

Image
I've had many people comment that Venice is on their wish list; their bucket list; and being an expert on the city after 48 hours I can say that Venice definitely is not what people say or wish for....it is more; much more. The first two photos on today's blog illustrate my point. Top Photo:  notice the small things like the brass door handle on some random door in some random backstreet. Second Photo: notice the grander than grand moments like the sun rising on the Grand Canal with the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute beside it. I stood on the stairs of the big bridge Ponte dell'Accademia.....competing with about 10 photographers who had huge cameras and tripods all set to capture the sun coming over the canal and Basilica (and a cruise ship that cruised into the picture). I had a backpack and an IPhone ........and you get what you see above. I keep seeing much of Venice through the lens of a pastor who has a calling to a church and that church continually (and wonderf...
Read more

The Brothers Valeri (From the Roman Period) Istrian Peninsula

Image
I have no idea who the Brothers Valeri were but they were perched on the all of building next to a church in Buje, Croatia where I went today. They are depicted in their senatorial robes from the Roman Empire days around here. It's things like this that keep you guessing when wandering around a town. In America we'll get a monument to a war 50 or 150 years ago. In Croatia, you get artwork from the period of say, 300 AD just strewn around the towns I planned to rent a car and go to some of the inland small fortress towns. Unfortunately, this being a Sunday and this being a very rainy Sunday....I had the same idea as everyone south of the Swiss Alps. Plus, there was a cross country bike race and when the bikes descend from a mountain road and onto the "main" highway.....everything stops. Everything.                     I've enjoyed the smaller towns. Yesterday I was in Poreč, just north of Rovinj where I am staying for a few days. After th...
Read more