Swimming has been a skill known to man since time immemorial. There is a quote by Plato which could be freely translated as `it was a shame to be neither literate nor a swimmer’. Based on this notion, it may be assumed that the ability to swim was expected from most Greeks. This is confirmed […]

The creation of a surname is a long-term process that has been developing since the beginnings of public notary service in Dalmatian cities. Initially, when a notarial document would be drawn up, the persons mentioned would be recorded only by their respective names and occasionally patronymics, i.e. the names of their respective fathers. This is […]

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a particularly revered saint in Konavle. According to a 13th century legend, the name of the titular holiday comes from the snow which fell in Rome on the eve of 5th August in 352 C.E. Namely, the legend says that a rich patrician by the name of John lived in […]

When one thinks about cities, towns and villages, their history and urban characteristics, a lot can be discovered from their names. Toponymy and cartography, as well as different names for the same settlement in different historical sources, can reveal a lot of interesting information. Some settlements have preserved their names of old to this day, […]

The toponym Na Roku (`On St Roch’s’) is well known to all Cavtat residents. The local cemetery has been situated on that hill since 1826. Before then, the inhabitants were buried in the city itself – within and around the parish church of St Nicholas, the Franciscan church of Our Lady of the Snows or […]