Cavtat. Beware! Here be dragons!

I would like to dedicate to friar Ilar Lukšić, dragon-hunter's namesake. He was my dear friend and teacher, who showed me that Latin language isn't difficult or boring. Gratias tibi ago frater Hilarion.

During the last stroll, I skipped one very interesting location - Šipun cave. According to legend, in the cave lived dragon named Voaz, who oppressed people of Cavtat and Konavle. So what happened that they are not oppresed any more?

I will not start this story in Cavtat, but in Močići village in some other cave. Cave called Tomina glavica.
In that shallow cave there is a mithraeum, shrine to Mithras cult, which spread through the Roman Empire from the first to the fourth century.

Mithraeum

We don't know much about this cult today, because not much of written word survived about it. The cult is only briefly mentioned in literature of those days. Nevertheless, the link between Mithras and sun worship can be seen in this shrine. In the mornings, when the sun starts to peek behind Konevle mountains, sunrays break through the foliage of young oaks and shine relief above the cave.

Mithras kills a bull. Under the bull there are scorpio and snake. Beside, two preasts are standing
and in the upper left corner we can see rays of sun, which broke during centuries past.

According to friar Ilar Lukšić, in that very cave, between 362 AD and 366 AD, lived saint Ilar (Hilarion). Legends about him survived for centuries in folk lore. The legend in which we are concerned cannot be found in Glagolitic writings (in Croatia glagolitic script has been in use form 9th to 19th century), but saint Jerome wrote it down in the 39th chapter of his hagiography of saint Hilarion, written about 20 years after st. Hilarion's death.
I am going to tell you the story as I was told by friar Ilar in 2000.
Long ago, Cavtat and Konavle were harrased by a huge dragon. He lived in Šipun cave and devoured children, women, men and cattle. He was so big that he could swallow in one bite his favourite prey - an ox. Therefore he was named Voaz (vol - croatian for ox).
One day, in Konavle came saint Hilarion, seeking solitude. But people heard of his arrival and asked him if he could help against the terrible Voaz. Saint Hilarion decided to help them.
Saint Hilarion didn't go against the dragon as saint George did - armed on his horse, but as a humble hermit he went on foot, taking with him his friend donkey.

When I followed the path that st. Hilarion might have taken, I took with me a fourlegged friend, too - Grace.

When Hilarion came to Voaz, he found him asleep as he had eaten people and cattle. So st. Hilarion took the dragon's tail and tied it to his donkey. They pulled the dragon across the sea to village of Mlini. There he told people to make a huge pyre. But Voaz was so big that they couldn't put him on that pyre.

While walking down the Blue path, following steps of st. Hilarion, you might encounter this boy. But don't be afraid. That's no snake or Voaz's offspring. It's just harmless sheltopusik

So st. Hilarion fell to his knees and prayed. God answered his prayer and ordered Voaz to climb the pyre by himself. Then Hilarion lit the pyre and so, Voaz was burned. At that very place, people later built church of st. Hilarion. Even to this day you can sometimes see the mark on the sea surface where st. Hilarion and his donkey dragged Voaz.

Path that st. Hilarion might took to reach Voaz

Voaz's lair, Šipun cave, was mentioned for the first time in the year 78 in "Naturalis Historia" by Pliny the Elder, and it was in 1963. when it was declared geomorphological nature monument. The 120m long cave descends 32 m in depth. Although tourists visit cave from the 19th century, it is closed to the public today. Maybe it is better that way, because the cave with its little lake, which is at the bottom salty and at the surface freshwater, forms a sensitive ecosystem.

The entrance to Šipun cave

If you decide to take a walk by the part of the Blue path which st. Hilarion might have used to catch the dragon, you can see specific information about the distances and heights on my case, with few important notes: I went from Močići to Cavtat, which is downhill. If I went from Cavtat to Močići it would have take about an hour. Most of the path is exposed to the sun, so it would be good to avoid walking it when the sun is strongest (11:00-16:00). Also be aware that clouds can be quite misleading and create the impression that the sun isn't so strong. Even though path is not too hard or dangerous to walk, be sure to use appropriate shoes (NO: flip-flops, sandals, crocks etc.). Take also a hat or a cap, enough liquid (at least 1 l) and a sunscreen.

These are your friends.
Liquid, appropriate shoes, hat and sunscreen.

If you find yourself by chance or on purpose in Zagreb, and you're interested into dragons and reptiles, Secret Zagreb Walks can discover you the secrets of Zagreb dragons.