December 20, 2018 - Sveti Marko Island is a natural and cultural heritage pearl in Tivat's bay. Entirely covered with greenery, mainly olive and cypress trees, once it was one of the most popular adventure tourism destinations in Montenegro. Sveti Marko today is wholly abandoned and waiting for some better times to be discovered again.
According to an ancient Greek legend, the island was the gift of gods to Greek soldiers who healed their wounds after battles on the island. Out of gratitude, they swore that they would never again wage war on their own, but only protect themselves if need be. They broke the oath eventually, and the enraged goods sent a deadly storm which killed everyone on the island, leaving only the beautiful old olive trees.
The name of the island in the middle ages, during the rule of the Serbian monarchs, was Sveti Gavrilo and according to another legend, the monastery dedicated to the mentioned Saint occupied the island. From there comes another name for the island, still in use among Tivat's natives - Gabrio.
After the takeover of Boka Bay by the Venetian Republic, the island became known as the Stradioti, after the Venetian cavalry composed mainly of the ethnic Albanians who had their fortress and barracks built on the island in 1499. Towards the end of the 16th century, the military units left the island, and it got the new name after Saint Marco - Sveti Marko, the protector of Venice.
In 1962, a tourist settlement was built there, with 500 Tahiti-style houses, without water supply or electricity. Club Med managed it, and until the Yugoslav wars, it was a popular adventure tourism destination. The guests of the island were coming mainly from Western European countries. It was a favorite target of young adventurers, who along with the sunbathing and swimming, spent their vacation here enjoying in various water sports, while the numerous animators cheered them up with cultural – entertaining shows and spectacles.
Today, it is mostly abandoned, making the island a somewhat exotic and mysterious destination. About ten years ago, a Russian investor wanted to transform the Sveti Marko island into an elite tourism destination by developing tourist villas and a high category hotel. The part of that plan was also the construction of a small marina, which meant destructing the natural ambiance of the island. Citizens of Tivat and other parts of the bay were strongly against those plans, so Sveti Marko island remains the untouched pearl in this part of Boka.
Spacial planning experts suggest keeping Sveti Marko as it is since it is one of the last fully preserved natural areas in Boka Bay and one of only seven islands along Montenegrin coast. Archaeologists suggest that Sveti Marko is an important archaeological site and that any intervention on the island should precede detailed scientific research.
