Our Lady’s Island

(source: TZ city of Solin)

“Gospin otok” (Our Lady’s Island), as some believe (Ejnar Dyggve), was the first settlement of Croats in this area. On the island, surrounded by the branches of the Jadro River, it is assumed that the Croatian princes fortified their residences with an embankment and walls made of wicker, stakes and wood. During the deep excavations under the altar of the parish church, however, a fairly wide Roman wall was found, which shows that this area was inhabited even earlier.
In the 10th century, on the site of today’s parish church, the Croatian queen Jelena built two churches: the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen. And later, the remains of her sarcophagus and tombstone were found in this area.