Prizidnice (Church of Our Lady of Prizidnice)

Čiovo is an island connected by a bridge near Trogir. Besides the old bridge that links it to the centre of Trogir, whose position used to cause traffic gridlock at the peak of the season, a new bridge has recently been built outside the town, which greatly eases communication with the mainland. Bridges and roads are a double-edged sword. Used carefully, they bring improvement, but a single moment of carelessness can lead to irreversible devastation, especially when there are no regulations or when they are circumvented without consequence. Čiovo is unfortunately a glaring example of that phenomenon, yet it still holds a few oases that have managed to resist the harmful influence of man and preserve a part of that maritime magic only islands can offer.

The Church of Our Lady of Prizidnice is one such oasis, set on the most remote part of the island. By car, along an asphalt road through a beautiful pine forest, you can reach the very entrance to the walking trail that leads to the church. The walking trail is some 150 m long, and at its start there is a spacious parking area. If you want to enjoy a slightly longer walk, you can leave your car at the parking area located at the crossroads, some 250 m before (43.4857629086058, 16.370672593435955).

Below the parking area at the start of the walking trail, you can descend to the edge of the cliff, from where an incredible view opens onto the cliffs of the southern side of Čiovo. On the horizon ahead lies Šolta, to the left Brač, and to the right Drvenik. This is a place of exceptional beauty. Peace, silence, and the sounds of the sea down in the depths. Be careful — there is no fence here.

The trail leading to the church offers, along its entire length, beautiful views of the sea and the cliffs it passes beneath.

On the approach to the church and around it, lush vegetation rounds out the Mediterranean atmosphere, and what especially delighted us were the carob trees. Some of them look hundreds of years old!

The church is surrounded by a few beautiful stone buildings, perfectly blended into the landscape. The only thing that disturbs the harmony of this place are the interventions of modern construction in the form of a small bridge connecting two buildings and an outdoor altar. Our people simply have neither the talent nor the will to preserve what is authentic, and they like to think that architects and conservators are merely an unnecessary nuisance in the realisation of their visions.

The Church of Our Lady of Prizidnice is a shrine that the inhabitants of Slatine, the easternmost settlement on Čiovo, visit several times a year. The church was built by Glagolitic hermits in the 16th century. The interior holds a valuable painting of Our Lady of Mercy that dates from the 14th century and comes from a painting school on Crete.

From the church, a trail continues, descending to the sea. On this side of the island beaches are a rarity, but for true purists and lovers of the sea, that is an advantage. The sea here is perfectly clean, and whoever truly wants to will find a suitable access point.