Visovac is an island of unique natural beauty and cultural heritage, a shrine to Our Lady, and the home of priests of the Order of St. Francis. Although it is marked on world maps as a destination for numerous pilgrims, nature lovers, and admirers of the cultural heritage, this island in the middle of the river is above all a place of peace, prayer, and sublime inspiration. Members of the Šibenik Photo Club, who also found inspiration in it, and paid attention to its details, made photographic records of the “White Stone”, which were united in the exhibition Visovac – Pax et bonum.
Visovac exudes a harmony in which plants, animals, and man all live, under the protection of St. Francis of Assisi. This saint is considered the protector of animals and the environment because of his great affection for all living beings that he displayed throughout his lifetime. His Franciscans on the island of Visovac for centuries have provided comfort and help to the surrounding population, and today, in peace and prosperity, they tend to the monastery garden, prepare future priests for a life dedicated to God, and are a source of knowledge and grace for all who are lucky enough to meet them. The novitiate on Visovac was founded in long-ago 1568, and even today you will find novices with their hands folded in the prayer and contemplation to which they are dedicated. The votive jewellery kept in the treasury of the Franciscan monastery of Our Lady of Mercy also testifies to the power of prayer. It contains the pleas and thanks of the people who for centuries worked to protect the image of Our Lady, which the Franciscans brought to Visovac almost six centuries ago. Because prayer offers people hope, and hope is sometimes the only thing that keeps a person’s head above water. And just as a fig tree will break through rock to fight for the heat of the sun and to bear the fruits of paradise, so a person should strive for the light and to perform acts of goodness during his or her life.
What used to be just a “stone” in the middle of the lake, today represents a rock of faith to people all over the world. But despite its worldwide religious importance, Visovac has kept its modesty and simplicity, inscribed on the paths of the monastery garden and in the tranquillity of the tall poplars; its cheerfulness in the colours of the peacock’s tail feathers; the clarity of its path in the waters of the Krka River in which it is reflected. These qualities are captured in these photographs, to remind us that peace and goodness can sometimes be found in the details.
