The Blaca Hermitage, a stone monastery complex in a valley on the island of Brač

Church & monasteryDalmatia

Blaca Hermitage: the hidden monastery and observatory on Brač

The Blaca Hermitage (Pustinja Blaca) is a cluster of stone buildings and a church in a remote valley on the south side of Brač, between Bol and Milna. Founded by Glagolitic monks in the 1550s, it later became a working estate and then an observatory. It is among the most unusual cultural sites on the Dalmatian coast and was added to the UNESCO Tentative List in 2007.

Blaca cannot be seen from the sea: it hides in a steep valley on the south of Brač, where monks once kept a telescope, a library, a printing press and even a piano, far from any road.

WhereValley on the south side of Brač, between Bol and Milna, Split-Dalmatia County

TypeGlagolitic hermitage with church, later an observatory, now a museum

Best forHistory lovers, hikers and anyone curious about astronomy and monastic life

Getting thereAway from the sea and reached on foot; the nearest cove lies about 2 km south

The history of the Blaca Hermitage

The place name Blaca is mentioned as early as 1305 and probably refers to the mud left by a stream after heavy rain. The hermitage itself began in the early 1550s. As the Ottomans advanced, Glagolitic monks from the Poljica area crossed to Brač, where the island's authorities allowed them to settle. They chose a valley set back from the sea, below a cave, and started by farming the land they had been given. Sources give the founding as 1551 or 1552.

In 1570 the community received permission to build a monastery and church, and its estates kept growing. The monks lived under a rule that made all goods common property, and a bishop's visit in 1621 confirmed this. The church was begun in 1588 and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. Fires and storms later weakened the economy, but the buildings were rebuilt and enlarged in the baroque manner. For a long time Blaca was one of the strongest economic enterprises on the island, and a stretch of the harbour at Milna is still called Blataška riva after the ships that carried its goods.

From 1862 the hermitage was run by priests of the Miličević family. One of them, Nikola Miličević, who studied mathematics and astronomy in Vienna, turned it into an observatory. He discovered novae and comets from here and printed his own astronomical journal. The hermitage was equipped with a library, an archive, instruments and a printing press, on which the community's rules were published in 1897. A beehive structure unique in Dalmatia also belonged to the estate.

Father Nikola Miličević died in 1963, which ended Blaca as a living community. In 2005 the International Astronomical Union named two asteroids, discovered at the Višnjan Observatory, Miličević and Brač, in memory of him and the site. The complex has since become a museum, and in 2007 it was entered on the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

Curiosities about the Blaca Hermitage

The hermitage is hidden from the sea and can be reached only on foot, yet a relatively large telescope from 1935 and a grand piano were brought up here.
Two asteroids, (10241) Miličević and (10645) Brač, carry names given in 2005 to honour the last hermit-astronomer and the site.
The name Blaca is probably linked to blato, “mud”, left by a seasonal stream after heavy rain.
The community's rule was printed in 1897 on the hermitage's own printing press.
The estate included a beehive building unique in Dalmatia for its form and method of keeping bees.
Its distance from Rome gave the hermit-astronomer freedoms, such as undisturbed scientific work, that other monasteries lacked.

Tours near Blaca Hermitage

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Luxury Blue Cave, Hvar and Vis Boat Tour from Split and Brac

★ 4.9 (566 reviews) · 10 h

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Blue Cave and Hvar Boat Tour: Small-Group from Split or Brac

★ 4.8 (560 reviews) · 10 h

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GROUP/ PRIVATE Walking History Tour of SPLIT with Daniela

★ 5 (211 reviews) · 2 h

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Private Walks & Storytelling - the best small group tour in Split

★ 5 (208 reviews) · 1 h

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Visiting the Blaca Hermitage

The hermitage lies away from the sea in a steep valley and is reached on foot. The nearest cove is about 2 km to the south, so plan for a walk.
Inside, the restored rooms preserve the old kitchen, furniture, astronomical instruments, a library and the printing press.
The complex works as a museum, and visits are possible with a guide. Check the current opening hours before you go.
Look for the Renaissance church with its bell gable and the economic buildings, including the beehive building and animal pens.
It combines well with a stay in Bol or Milna.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.