Just offshore from Perast are two peculiarly picturesque islands. The smaller, Sveti Ðorđe (St George), rises from a natural reef and houses a Benedictine monastery shaded by cypresses. Boats (€5 return) ferry people to its big sister, Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), which was artificially created in the 15th century around a rock where an image of the Madonna was found. Every year on 22 July the locals row over with stones to continue the task.
The magnificent church was erected in 1630 and has sumptuous paintings, hundreds of silver votive tablets and a small museum. The most unusual exhibit is an embroidered icon of the Madonna and Child partly made with the hair of its maker.
