The Church on the Island of Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Skrpjela) was never Orthodox, as there was no Orthodox population in Kotor and Perast at the time of its construction, the Croat National Council of Montenegro (HNV) said.

The agency Speedboat & Semi-Submarine Tours Montenegro has claimed on its website that the church on the Island of Our Lady of the Rocks “was originally built as an Orthodox temple, which was later renovated by the Venetians and converted into a Roman Catholic church,” according to the HNV. Despite a phone conversation, the agency refused to correct this inaccurate information regarding the church’s history.

The HNV stressed that the demographic structure and population numbers in Perast in the 16th century clearly indicate that the church could not have been intended for Orthodox inhabitants, as there were none in the area at that time.

They noted that in the first half of the 16th century, there was no Orthodox population in Kotor and Perast, adding that by 1774, only 15.85% of Kotor’s population was Orthodox.

Citing the 1910 census, HNV highlighted that in Kotor and its surrounding settlements—Bogdasic, Kavac, Lepetane, Mrcevac, Orahovac, Škaljari, and Spiljari—there were 3,939 Catholics and 1,820 Orthodox. In Dobrota, there were 792 Catholics and 424 Orthodox, in Muo 581 Catholics and 96 Orthodox, in Prcanj 860 Catholics and 108 Orthodox, in the settlements of Stoliv, Gornji, and Donji, 318 Catholics and 67 Orthodox, in Lastva Gornja and Donja 703 Catholics and 13 Orthodox, in Tivat 1,785 Catholics and 62 Orthodox, and in Perast and its settlements—Gjuric, Kostanjica, Strp-Lipci—862 Catholics and 358 Orthodox.

Through this statement, the HNV of Montenegro aims to protect the interests of the native, indigenous population of Boka Kotorska.