Churches and chapels at the foot of Biokovo mountain preserve heritage and tell stories

In Brela, there is a significant number of sacral buildings, whether churches, chapels or memorials to it. Namely, there were churches here before the Turkish conquests in the 15th and 16th centuries, and many have been rebuilt after the departure of Turks in the 18th century, bearing the form or at least the name of the old ones...

Each church and chapel tells its own story about origin, construction and preservation. Such a valuable monument of sacral heritage is today's Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which used to be called Our Lady of Victory. It is a cruciform church in the Baroque style, and it has been built by former Bishop of Makarska, Nikola Bijanković, in memory of the heroic defence of the town of Sinj in 1715. Furthermore, the bishop is remembered for the 'Bijanković pine', a pine that grew from an old stone and was more than 300 years old, under which the bishop has been siting and meditating regularly. As Bishop Nikola entrusted the people of Brela with his work and love for their place, a monument to him has been erected next to the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 2015. Besides the pine, place of Brela is also known for another tree. Namely, for over 300 years the downy oak grew here as well, protected as a natural monument but unfortunately destroyed in a storm in 2012. However, the scientists took the branches and managed to grow an oak sapling from it, and today in the yard of the same church there is a ‘cloned downy oak’!

Memory at Bishop Nikola also remains in the church's furnishings in Brela. For the mentioned church he acquired an icon of the "Virgin and Child" of Byzantine provenance. This painting is displayed for veneration in a front of the church each year at the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the 16th of July. The belfry has been added to the church in the 19th century and it is connected with the tragic story of its builders – Bertapella and the Štampar family. Namely, they have planned to bring the stone from their native island of Brač, but when they have loaded the ship with the stone they have encountered a storm in which one of them has lost his life (exactly Petar Štampar died who resisted sailing, because he warned that the ship was overloaded). It is a tragic story about a dynasty of builders who have been widely known. The belfry of this church resembles the belfry next to the Dominican church in the Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, which is also attributed to the Štampar family.

Next church is dedicated to Mary as well, that is the old church of Our Lady of Health, which testifies on how devotion to the Virgin Mary has flourished here. It is a classic church of the Dalmatian hinterland originated from 18th century and built after the Turkish wars. The bishop of Makarska has mentioned it once under the name of Our Lady of the Rosary, and also of the Immaculate Conception, while the current name has been established in the 19th century.

The Parish Church of Brela dedicated to St. Stephen the First Martyr (cover photo) has been originally built during the time of Bishop Bartul Kašić in the 17th century. The second church has been built here after the departure of Turks in the 18th century. And the final church has been built at the same place in the 19th century. Today's church is decorated with an altar transferred from the old church with a statue of Our Lady that was acquired in Venice, therefore it is one of the most beautiful pieces of art that could be acquired at the time. On the choir of the church there are two preserved baroque paintings of St. Peter and St. Jerome, and the altarpiece of St. George, St. John and St. Peter was made by Antonio Zuccaro, the artist known for the interior decorations of theatres in Šibenik, Zadar and Split. The stone belfry has been added to the church in the 20th century.

The Church of St. Nicholas is a medieval church on Prirovac hill built in the 14th century, and it is a single-nave church with Gothic elements. From this location there is a beautiful view of the wider area. Interesting fact is that the church was mentioned for the first time in the 16th century, when the bishop for some reason gave it an interdict (prohibition of sharing the sacraments). Furthermore, there is church of St. George in Gornje Selo which has been built at the beginning of the 20th century, but on the site of the old church built in the 18th century, when dignitary Ivan Ribičić and his fellow residents donated this land to the church. Also, there is church of St. Elijah at the locality of Dugiš in Potpoletnica, which is a traditional place of pilgrimage from Podbiokovlje and Poljica, and is located in an oak grove where travellers can rest and enjoy the special silence enabled by the hidden location far from the crowd.

In this story about sacral heritage of the place of Brela and the struggle to preserve it during history, as well as the religion and faith of people in these areas, two chapels should be mentioned too. The first is Chapel of St. Caius, the oldest preserved chapel in the area of Brela, built in the 18th century on Nevistina Stina – on the road from Donja Brela to Gornja Brela. Devotion to St. Caius the Pope, has been also popularized by Nikola Bijanković former Bishop of Makarska.

Finally, a chapel dedicated to Saint Roch has been built at the beginning of the 19th century. The locals erected it along the road towards the parish church as a thanks for the past plague epidemic, and one more chapel has been built not far from the first one, a year later. It seems that the epidemic was on a large scale, but the piety of the locals who surrendered themselves to the intercession of Saint Roch was even greater. It is noticeable how the people of Brela have got trust in God in the dangerous situations of wars, epidemics and diseases, so they have contributed to a large extent in the construction or restoration of the sacral heritage. Nowadays, sacral buildings restored at old sites blend perfectly with nature revealing a unique image of Brela to its residents and guests.