TOP DESTINATIONS CROATIA: TUČEPI, CHURCH OF SAINT ANTHONY

Tučepi (pronounced Tuchepi) is a actually municipality that included a few small villages (perhaps better to call them hamlets) and not just the touristic coastal settlement most visitors will be familiar with. Tourists will be familiar with Tučepi as the seaside settlement located right new to the Makarska. You can literary walk from Makarska to that part of Tučepi and I'm sure lots of people do it. Like Makarska city, seaside Tučepi is famous for its beautiful beaches. Being a touristic destination, the accommodation options in Tučepi are great (hotels, private accommodation etc). It's a very typical Adriatic coastal settlement that is also a touristic hotspot, one might say. However, what most people don't know is that there is such a thing as Gornji Tučepi (literally translated Upper Tučepi) and that part of Tučepi (located on the slopes of Biokovo mountain) is much older than the seaside part.

 While we were driving back from Makarska (read more about our visit), we pondered stopping at Tučepi for another walk by the sea. As it happens we missed the turn and we ended up visiting the original 'Tučepi' that is the older part of this place, the one located away from the sea. I saw this beautiful bell tower and assumed there must also be a church there so I asked for my friends to stop there and they did. Well, we found the bell tower, saw the church and had a stroll around the old village. So, basically we ended up visiting the part of Tučepi that is less touristic. Just as well, because it gives me the chance to tell you a bit about the history of Tučepi.

THE CHURCH OF SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA

We'll start with this beautiful church of Saint Anthony of Padua. It was build in the period between 1891 to 1901 when it was consecrated.  in the neo-Romansque style. The inside of the church is made from marble. The barque alter was brought in from the old parish church that was destroyed in a fire. In the past, the old parish church was known under the same name but today it is called St. Roch church and it is located to the old parish house ( I haven't actually seen this one so that would be  info I gathered online). It is also worth noting that this is only one of many churches in this area. For example, in Tucepi there is also church of Saint George from 14th century and church of saint Catherina that dates back to the 16th century.  Croats, it seems, were always keen on building churches and chapels.

From the road I couldn't see the church itself, but I could see the bell tower and I was determined to see what else is there. So, we parked where we could and looked for stairs (which are right next to the road fortunately) and before you know it, we were in front of this beautiful church. We admired it for a while, and then I circled the church to see the bell tower from all angles, because that's me. When I like something I need to see it from all angles. Does that has anything to do with the fact I paint? Perhaps. It is a beautiful bell tower, isn't it? The church doors were locked so we couldn't get in, but the church is definitely gorgeous.

Just a little note. When Croatian people talk of a church as being 'new' that church might actually be  something like 200 years old. I catch myself making this mistake all the time. That's just an European thing perhaps, there are so many old structures and buildings, you end up calling historical buildings new. A part of me always thinks of churches like this one as relatively new, even if I'm aware they might be two or three hundred years old. As I explained, it is probably an European perspective on things. I think it also has to do with the fact there are so many early christian churches here, and that makes us call anything that is not five or nine hundred years old new. Truth be told, most churches here are historical. There are also new and modern ones obviously, but old ones are more numerous.  

 A BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE MODERN HISTORY OF TUČEPI 

 A lot of Adriatic and Mediterranean villages and cities were originally build away from the sea, where people would have their 'main homes' and farm the land, while they also build stone houses that served as fishing houses by the sea. That is quite typical for whole Mediterranean region, people having multiple houses so they could both farm the land and fish. There are other reasons why this was done, and one of them was protection for pirates and raiders.  However, history of Tučepi is even more interested than that. Not too long ago (in 1962 to be more precise), there was this big earthquake that destroyed most of the original houses in old Tučepi. As I explained, most locals in this area lived on the slopes on the mountain and worked the land. Since their homes were destroyed, the build new ones near the sea and with time they started to focus more on tourism. So, in a way it was an earthquake that turned Tučepi into a top Croatian destination. That and the hardworking people that live there.

THE ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY OF TUČEPI

The original history of Tučepi is quite ancient. There are some proofs of human settlement that go as far as 6 thousand years B.C to be found in vicinity, but not a definite proof for Tučepi itself.  What we do know for sure is that this place was inhabited by the ancient Illyrians. In fact, Tučepi was probably named by the Illyrians and it is possible that in their language it meant 'a place near the source'. There are quite  a few natural fresh sources here, so that would make sense. It is also possible that the ancient Greek colonizers were in the area. No direct proof of an ancient Greek settlement was found just here but there are some other findings in the area that indicate the Greeks stay here at least for a while (Hellenistic helmets, anchors etc). On the other hand, the Roman ceramics is all over the place, so it is quite certain the Romans were here as well. Many old Roman houses (known as villa rustica) are to be found in this area. This is pretty standard for Europe, I'd say. There are a lot of areas that seemed to have been inhabited since down of time but if you love history, you will never get bored of hearing about it. People were quite mobile in the old days, I think most people don't realize that. In Europe, you can always find tons of history if you look for it. As far as the medieval history of the place, the Croats arrived here in the seventh century. They accepted Christianity not long after their arrival, and that is why you will find so many old churches and other Christian monuments in Croatia.  Some of the old churches here were even sites originally devoted to Slavic pagan gods. The first official mentioning of Tučepi in a historical document dates back to the fifteenth century. You can find out more about the history of Tučepi here and here.










That would be all for today. Once we had a look around and strolled this little village to our heart content the sun came down and it was time for us to go, so that is what we did. I do love Croatian sunsets. Thank you for reading. Have a lovely weekend.