Drakonjina špilja (meaning "Dragon's cave"), also known as Zmajeva pećina ("Wurm's cave"), is called so because of the mysterious

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

of a dragon found inside. It is located immediately above Murvica, on the island of

Brač Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide.Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The dragon was carved by unknown monk in the 15th century, when the monks lived in the caves and even built a chapel in them. As well as the dragon, there is also a carving of the moon and other ancient cult symbols. On the eastern side over the

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, there are carved human figures and birds on their nests, indicating that this was a Christian sanctuary, which nevertheless had elements of pagan religions. The church which serves Murvica is in the former hermitage in Dračeva luka. The

vaulting In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

in this church, which dates from the 16th century, is formed by the natural rock of the cave.Naklada Naprijed, ''The Croatian Adriatic Tourist Guide'', pg. 267, Zagreb (1999), On the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

there is a characteristic

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

and a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

. A new, modern church was built in Murvica after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

References

Caves of Croatia Brač Landforms of Split-Dalmatia County {{cave-stub

See also

References