Old Balkan Tales of Love by the Sea
By Silvana ‘Nana’ Ivandic-Määttä for totheoceans.com Goes Balkan- program
As a regular invited blog writer focusing on the Balkan cultures, I would like to this time write about a one small, beautiful, inspirational and somehow still mystical country- Montenegro.
I have been visiting and spending lots of time in Montenegro and each time I have been fascinated by its natural beauty and wonders.
Coastal line with it’s magnificent fjord of Boka- Kotorska Bay.
Boka Bay was included in the list of the 28 most beautiful bays in the world in 1997.
Since 1979 it has been under the UNESCO protection. Montenegro, with its coastal line and with the wild, but equally beautiful North along absolutely gorgeous mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers and National parks is really worth visiting and experiencing!
For such a small country, Montenegro has so much to offer with it’s rich and vivid history, beautiful nature, cousine and people.
As travelling around the Kotor bay over the years, I heard so many stories, myths and legends about lost seamen, sad love stories and sacrifices made by women, who so patiently waited for their sailors and loved ones to return back home from the distant seas.
Each island, town and historic installation has their unique stories to tell.
In particular, I would like to share you three stories that especially caught my attention over the years. These stories have been present in the Montenigrian collective memory for over hundreds of years.
We all know about the famous Shakespeare’s story of the love of Romeo and Juliet, but what if I tell you there is an equally tragic story from Montenegro?
The story of Katica and Ante.
Back in 1813, Napoleon Bonaparte’s soldiers conquested Boka Kotorska Bay and among it a small baroque costal town near Kotor, called Perast.
In front of Perast there are two small islands, St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela).
In those times the first one, St. George’s island, was transformed into French military camp. Among the soldiers, was a young officer called Ante Slović, a Dalmatian from the island of Cres, Croatia.
One day while on a walk with his friends through Perast, he saw a beautiful local girl, Katica Kalfić, and then happened the intense experience for them, “love at first sight”.
They began to dream about their future life together, once the war would be over.
But their love was not approved by Katica’s family, as Ante was serving in the occupators army.
Very soon locals rebelled against French who retreated to the island of St.George. In a fire exchange Ante was behind a cannon aiming for the fortress in Perast where the locals were. Unfortunately, one cannon bill hit Katica’s house and killed her.
When Ante found out what had happened, he left the army, became a monk at the church on the island of St.George, where he stayed until his death.
His beloved Katica was buried on that same island near the church.
The legend goes he was every night lighting a candle by her grave – until one night there was no candle light. They found him dead by Katica’s grave with a note is his hand.
His only wish was to be buried beside his loved one.
Today, by their grave on the Island of St. George, there grows two tall trees leaning onto each other- symbolizing this ever lasting love.
Jacinta Kunić
There is a legend about Jacinta Kunić, a woman from Perast who waited for her husband, a captain, for 25 years. During that period she made a tapestry that is still preserved till nowadays and exhibited at the island’s Church of Our Lady of the Rocks in front of town of Perast.
Tapestry is partly embroidered from the woman’s hair. Instead of linen, she used damask and multi-colored pearls. Her hair is on the heads of the Angels, the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
When she began to embroid the tapestry, her hair was dark and after 25 years, it turned gray.
However, it is not recorded if her husband returned back from the sea. Or for how long Jucinta lived, but her remarkable work reminds us even today that patience is not necessary the same as loneliness. It can be creative contemplation as well.
Three Sisters (Tre Sorelle)
According the Legend three sisters named Fiomena, Graziana and Rina, who lived in a small costal town of Kotor bay- Prcanj- were in love with the same man – Captain Jerko Novanjin.
As it usually goes with unwritten stories over the centuries, three legend versions emerged.
In the first version, the young captain could not make up his mind which of the sisters is closer to his heart, so he decided to sail away to the open sea in order to make a decision.
In the second version, he promised himself for only to one of the sisters – which made the other two jealous. So, he sailed away to not form bad blood between the sisters.
According to third version, captain was in a relationship with all three sisters promising each an eternal love, and then sailed away.
But the end of this legend in all three versions is the same.
Years passed by, and the sisters, each at their window, waited, hoping that one day they would see Jerko’s sailing ship on the horizon again.
While waiting they got old.
When the first sister died, the other two symbolically bricked up her window. Same happened with the second window.
In the end, the Captain never returned and there was no one to brick up the third window.
It stayed open until these days, reminding us of unfulfilled love and universal human destinies.
These stories were just some of the legends, which are related to this beautiful coastal line of Montenegro and islands of St.George and Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela).
The house of Three Sisters is still standing in town of Prcanj- with one window open. One verse in the poem about Tre Sorelle says: “The third window is like listening to the sound of distant oceans..”
Silvana Ivandic-Määttä (Nana)
Visitors guide video to Montenegro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAGbR-_iEGE&t=2s
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Contact via: sini@totheoceans.com
