The Bled Island

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     In the ancient times, polytheism prevailed in this area, which is why the island included a temple of the pagan goddess of love. After the local population was converted from paganism to Christianity in 745, they were forced to replace their goddess Živa with the Christian Virgin Mary. The ancient Slavic temple was replaced with the church consecrated to the birth of the Virgin Mary. A small Mary's chapel was also built to make locals pray to her.

     In 1465, a single-nave Gothic church was built on the island. Its special feature was the 52 m high free-standing bell-tower made of porous stone known also as buckwheat grain. The church gained its present Baroque appearance in the middle of the 17th century when the Chapel of Virgin Mary and the

monumental staircase with 99 stone steps were constructed. A local tradition dictates that the groom that the groom should carry his bride up all of the 99 steps in order to get married in the island. 

     Traditional wooden row barges call pletna (see above) ferry people to and from the island. I was told that those guys who ferry people to the island was known as the rkoi, as these islands belong to their families. Not sure this is true.