Croatia heart hot

Houses our love nest

Commune Cenacolo - Varaždin

House boat in Cista Velika

In Cista Velika, halfway from Sinj to Imotski, there is this unique stone boat-house. It used to be a restaurant called "Mirko Jelin", in which, remember guests, serving top quality food, but it was a popular place to hang out. The boat-house built by the family members Vučak from original idea. Until two or three years the boat-house was in ruins, but was rebuilt and, hopefully, waiting for new guests.

Duće near Omiš

  Old village Duće

Duce is a small village near Omis, situated along the coastal road Split – Omis. Duce is recognized for its beautiful sandy beaches that stretch for about 6 kilometers from Dugi Rat until Omis. In the past it was a place with few people, while today more than 2000 people live in Duce. Besides Duce which is located close to the sea, there is the village of Stare Duce (Old Duce) which is located at the foot of the mountain Mosnjica and has only 24 houses.

Our Lady’s Island, Solin

                                      

Gospin otok, according to some sources, was the first settlement of Croats in this area. In the 10th century, on the site of today's church, the Croatian queen Jelena has built two churches: that of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen's within which ruins the sepulchral slab of queen Jelena and of Jelena's sarcophagus were found. There were many elm-trees on the Island so people called this church Gospa u Bristima (brist = oak tree, Gospa = Our Lady) while the well situated to the west of the church, whose water remained clear even after great rains, was called Gospin bunarić (Our Lady's well).

Both of Jelena's churches belong to the order of so-called double churches. According to the medieval habit, kings were buried in the church in which they were crowned so it is supposed that the church of Our Lady of the Island (Gospe od Otoka) was the coronation basilica. Today's church was built on the same site , of approximately the same dimensions, where the fesitval of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin are celebrated In 1998, Pope John Paul the II visited this sanctuary and held a mass for the young people of Our Lady's Island (Gospin otok).