Montenegro is a small and still quite unknown country for travellers, but it has a rich history from the Roman times. Here are listed some of the best historic sites to visit on the bays of royal blue Adriatic Sea.
Santa Maria in Punta is one of the oldest pre-Romanic churches in the Montenegro coastal region. According to the preserved written record, this church was established by the Benedictines in 840 AD as their cloister and this was later taken over by the Franciscans. The oldest school in Budva was located in this Monastery. A large number of old tombs have been found in the church. For a period of time, it was the home to an archaeological collection of artefacts discovered in a necropolis in Budva, but the church is currently used for art exhibitions and concerts of classical music.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest church in the city, it is the seat of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. The cathedral has survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles.
The site where it stands was the principal mosque of Lisbon when it was an Arab settlement. The construction of the cathedral started around 1150, three years after the city was conquered from the Moors during the Second Crusade. Shortly after the victory the English knight Gilbert of Hastings was named bishop of the city of Lisbon.
One good reason to visit the Cathedral is to visit its charming cloisters located in the back. There are several tombs in the cathedral, the most notable of which is the beautifully sculpted tomb of Lopo Fernandes Pacheco and his wife.