The hill took its name from a monk who came from Jerusalem in the 13th century bringing with him an icon of the Blessed Virgin painted by the Apostle Luke. The small church he built later became a basilica and then in the 14th century under the rule of the Knights of St. John a Monastery was built, surrounded by cloisters and cells and a number of chapels. There is where the miracle-working icon is so reverently kept. When the island came into the possession of the Ottoman Turks, the icon was taken by the Knights to France and from there to Italy , then Malta and Russia , where it stayed until the 1917 revolution. Since 2002, it has been kept in the Blue Chapel of the National Museum of Montenegro and a copy has been put in its place.

The monastery was destroyed during the Turkish occupation. The Italians rebuilt the monastery during their occupation and kept it open with monks from the Capuchin Order. During the 2nd world war the monks returned to Italy and since then the monastery has been closed.

The Italians also added a Via Crucis (Calvary), a pathway that leads from the monastery towards the south-western edge of the plateau, to a small square with a stunning view. Here an imposing iron Cross stood in the middle. (Today it’s a concrete Cross) Along the right side of the path, stone altars were built with embedded reliefs, depicting scenes of the Passions of Jesus.

The Via Dolorosa is the journey undertaken by Jesus, starting at the place where Pilate sentenced him to death and ending on Mount Golgotha (Calvary) and is also known as the Way of the Cross or the Via Crucis. Jesus walks this distance carrying the cross upon which he will be crucified.

Panoramic view of the Aegean with turquoise waters near the shore and deep blue as it stretches toward coast of the Asia Minor.