Sveti Marko Island (), historically known as Stradioti (Страдиоти), is an island on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, in the Montenegrin municipality of

Tivat Tivat (Serbo-Croatian: Tivat/Тиват, ) is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro, located in the Bay of Kotor. , its population was 9,367. Tivat is the centre of Tivat Municipality, which is the smallest municipality by area in Montenegro. ...

History

According to an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

legend the island was the gift of gods to Greek soldiers who healed their wounds after battles on the island. Out of gratitude, they swore that they will never again wage a war on their own, but only protect themselves if need be. They broke the oath eventually, and the enraged gods sent a deadly storm which killed everyone on the island, leaving only the beautiful old olive trees. Original name of the island in the Middle Ages, during the rule of the

Serbian monarchs This is an wiktionary:archontology, archontological list of Serbs, Serbian monarchs, containing Monarch, monarchs of the Serbia in the Middle Ages, medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia. The :Serbian monarchy, Serbian mona ...

, was Sveti Gavrilo and according to another legend monastery dedicated to the mentioned Saint occupied the island. Together with the Sveti Mihailo Island it formed the ''Archipelago of the Holy Archangels''. After the takeover of the

Montenegrin littoral The Montenegrin Littoral (), historically known as the Littoral or the Maritime, is the littoral or coastline region of Montenegro which borders the Adriatic Sea. The littoral was lost to Austria and Turkey during its collapse due to Ottoman invasio ...

by the

Venetian republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, the island became known as the ''Stradioti'', after the Venetian

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

composed mainly of the ethnic

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

who had their fortress and barracks built on the island in 1499. Towards the end of the 16th century, the military units were disbanded and island was named after Sveti Marko, the protector of Venice.

About the island

Sveti Marko Island is located near the town of Tivat, in the

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...

. It is aligned with the Tivat's other island, Prevlaka Island (the Island of Flowers). The island is entirely covered with greenery. In 1962, a tourist settlement was built there, with 500

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

-style houses, without water supply or electricity. It was managed by

Club Med Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily ow ...

, and until the

Yugoslav wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

, it was a very popular tourist destination. Today, it is mostly abandoned, making the island a somewhat exotic and mysterious destination. OSTRVO SVETI MARKO D.O.O. is a legal owner of Sveti Marko Island (ex-Stradioti). The beautiful island with its virgin nature, and great location has unique perspectives and opportunities for development.

References

Islands of Montenegro Islands of the Adriatic Sea Tivat Municipality {{Montenegro-geo-stub

History

About the island

See also

References