The towering shape of St. Mary’s Church dominates the skyline in Vrboska.

St. Mary’s Fortress-Church in Vrboska

In the peaceful village of Vrboska, St. Mary’s Church is the calling card attraction. This fortified church beautifully punctuates the skyline and is the reason this spot on the eastern side of the Stari Grad Plain was once a successful fishing and trading community.

The town of Vrboska is dominated by the fortress-church of St Mary of Grace. – © Samuli Lintula / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0

St. Mary’s Church stands out in Vrboska. The small village, with just 500 people on the eastern side of Stari Grad Plain, doesn’t have many large buildings so the towering shape of St. Mary’s dominates the skyline. The 15th century church was fortified about 100 years after it was first built with huge buttresses to provide shelter for local residents if the village was attacked. It has high walls, battlements and a ravelin defending the front door. On first glance, it looks much more like a castle than a house of worship.

The towering shape of St. Mary’s Church dominates the skyline in Vrboska. – © LianeM / Shutterstock

When it was extended and fortified in 1575, the main threat was from attack by the Ottoman Turks. (It’s the same reason why Tvrdalj Castle in Stari Grad had defensive measures added to it.) But the fortifications had the added benefit of protecting against marauding pirates and so Vrboska grew in prosperity and became a strong fishing and trading community.

These days, the village offers a peaceful and charming atmosphere with a succession of stone bridges spanning a narrow canal connected to the open sea.