The St. Mary's island

In the year 1151. lord Desa of Zachlumia (Zahumlje), gave island Mljet as a gift to benedictine monks from Pulsano on Monte Gargano. Between the years of 1177. and 1198. they built a monastery with a church of Saint Mary on the islet in the middle of Great lake.

Church and monastery were built in romanesque style, however, the monastery was partly rebuilt in baroque style.

This monument had great influence on development of literacy and culture on island, but also in the hinterland of Balkan Peninsula, especially in Zachlumia, Travunia and Republic of Dubrovnik.

Thanks to the conditions in which the monks lived, surrounded with sea and forerst, they were able to work without disturbing. In the scriptorium they would copy liturgical books, Holy Scripture, but also latin classics. They used beneventana script and wrote on parchment which they had made, as well as stationery. There was library in the monastery, which was the biggest library, next to St. Stephens in Dubrovnik and St. Chrysogonus in Zadar, of all benedictine libraries in Dalmatia.

We can be thankful to benedictine monks for introducing music and different construction techniques to the islanders, and also showing how to breed olives and grape vine.

Thanks to its position and historical value, St. Mary's island is the symbol of National park "Mljet", but also the symbol of the whole island Mljet.