Saint Luke church is the oldest Orthodox church in Kotor. It is located on the Orthodox square and was erected in 1195, during the reign of the Serbian dynasty Nemanjici. The church was built in Romanesque style and, according to the preserved donor inscription on the church, was erected by Mauro Kazafrangi with his wife Bono. Originally, St. Luke's Church was a Catholic church. Orthodox people settled in Kotor in the fourteenth century. At first, they did not have their own church, so the Catholics allowed them to put their icon inside the church of St. Luke, so they had a place to pray.
From the fourteenth century to present day, St. Luke's Church has been Orthodox. In 1979 when earthquake occured, St. Luke's Church suffered no damage. Some Kotorans will say that this is a miracle, given that the earthquake was quite strong and lasted as long as 11 seconds, and those with a little less faith will say that the structure of the church is strong and therefore did not collapse.
Inside this small church are the tombs of the noble Kotoran families as until the middle of the 20th century, burials were performed in the church. On the back of the church there is a chapel of St. Spiridon.
Admission to the church is FREE
The working hours of St. Luke's Church are from 08:00am to 20:00pm.
Author of the text:
Marijana Niković licensed tourist guide for Montenegro.
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