The church of St. Rocco is rather special in its architecture and use - back in the day it doubled as a church and as a fortress.

The first church to be built on its location - the coast of the small bay of Komizha - was erected in the 16th century and dedicated to St. Rocco who was believed to be protecting the people of Komizha from the plague. Because at the time the pirates frequently plundered the whole of the Adriatic coast a lot of towns and cities had fortresses, and the need arose for Komizha to have one, as well. So in 1763 the family Mardeshich was given permission by the bishop James Pontalius to build a new church of St. Rocco that would double as a fort, and turn the old one already standing into a sacristy.

This is why the church fortress of St. Rocco doesn’t have a lot of windows. Except for the holes in the stones used for observation of the port there are only two other windows - the small round one on the front and one under the roof.

In the 20th century, a small bell fry was added to the church fortress, taken from the old church (now a sacristy). While it might not look quite like a church from the outside, the interior of this fortress church is adorned with a Baroque altar and a painting depicting Our Lady of Carmel, St. Rocco and several other saints.

With St. Rocco being the patron saint of this church the mass in his honour is held here on St. Rocco’s Day. The Day of the Lady of Carmel is also celebrated here, with a mass on July 16th every year.

See more about Island of Vis

№39 of 52 places in Island of Vis
№1960 of 2178 places in Croatia
№10 of 12 Churches and cathedrals in Island of Vis
№256 of 290 Churches and cathedrals in Croatia