Sveta Nedjelja, island of Hvar
Sveta Nedjelja
Sveta Nedjelja is a place on the cliff on the southern part of the island of Hvar. The only way to reach the settlement is through the Jelsa tunnel Pitve-Zavala, which is about 1.5 km long. The places you will find there are Zavala, Ivan Dolac, and Sveta Nedjelja. Sveta Nedjelja is a picturesque and azure place on the southern side of the island of Hvar, bordered by the unfathomable blue sea on one side and the cliffs of the island’s highest peak, Sv. Nikola (626 m), on the other. Throughout the village, stone, sea, olive groves, fields, sun, karst, and private vineyards harmoniously complement each other because only on these steep and barren slopes bathed in sea and salt can the best and most excellent wines thrive. Most of the residents of Sveta Nedjelja are mainly involved in tourism, fishing, agriculture, olive growing, lavender cultivation, and viticulture. The patron saint of Sveta Nedjelja is St. Spyridon the Bishop, celebrated on December 14th.
Located on a protruding hillside at the bottom near the sea, below a cave where the remains of the Augustinian monastery existed from the 15th century until 1787, it now looks like a cove with a modern harbor, surrounded on all sides by karst rocks and pine forests. Today, Sveta Nedjelja consists of only the Parish Church of St. Spyridon, about a hundred stone houses, vacation homes, private apartments, a modern harbor, a mini-market, and a restaurant. The surrounding beaches are steep but accessible, and the sea is crystal clear, with an endless horizon beyond.
The former Augustinian monastery was entirely built in the cave above Sveta Nedjelja around the 15th century, around a spring of drinking water that existed in the cave. The entire front part of the cave was enclosed by the monastery, chapel, and cemetery, but today only the church dedicated to “Our Lady of the Snows,” a cross, an enclosed spring of drinking water, and several stone remnants of the former monastery building remain. The monastery operated until 1787, after which the village used the monastery church in the cave. A new church was built in the 20th century on the village viewpoint “St. Spyridon,” with a unique garden and surrounded by local horticulture.
“Marina Bilo Idro,” also known as the port of “Sveta Nedjelja,” in the lower part of the village consists of four parts and, although it has a limited number of berths for large and medium-sized yachts, it has sufficient capacity and occupancy for all types of guests, even those over 40 meters. Within the marina, there is the restaurant Bilo Idro, offering the finest culinary specialties paired with the finest wines of this region and the Republic of Croatia in general.
While enjoying delicacies or simply walking through the village, the endless blue horizon offers views of the sea, cliffs, and distant islands of the southern Dalmatian archipelago of Vis, Korčula, and Mljet.
To prevent the sun-drenched sea and continuous warmth of the sun and soil from going unused, as the story goes, and largely true, the best and sunniest premium wines of Hvar are produced in this southern Hvar location, especially the Plavac Mali variety. Thus, fields, vineyards, and olive groves abound with the finest varieties that can maximize the gift of nature and fantastic and specific microclimatic conditions for agricultural excellence. About ten not always easily accessible beaches and coves surround this romantic picture of a valuable and extraordinary place, as well as the picture of the island of Hvar, which exists as a large and essential part of the magnificent whole of Croatia’s sunniest island. ***Under the village, there is an impressive beach with a cave at Pataršćica, and numerous gravel beaches and secluded coves are found in the vicinity.
The place also has its own cemetery with the church “Our Lady of Health,” several beautiful chapels, inscriptions, and tombstones. The coastal sea abounds with the flora and fauna of this specific region and contains an underwater site with the underwater site “Shipwreck remains in front of Lučišće Bay,” dating back to around the 1st century AD. The road to Sveta Nedjelja is well-maintained and accessible to all types of vehicles, and there are ample parking spaces within the village for all types of motor vehicles.
