On a rocky peninsula between Bar and Sutomore, shaded by pine trees and overlooking the sea, lie the ruins of the once-powerful Ratac Monastery, also known as Santa Maria de Rotezo. First mentioned in 1247, the monastery likely stood long before that date. Belonging to the Benedictine order, the complex once included three churches, residential quarters, fortified walls, and towers. It was a major spiritual and economic center – owning land from Stari Bar to Petrovac, cultivating olives and vines, and operating an oil mill and quarry. In the 15th century, it even served as a refuge for those suffering from leprosy. One of its most prominent abbots, Đorđe Pelinović, was both a priest and a diplomat for the Archbishopric of Bar. The monastery was abandoned in the 16th century following Ottoman invasions. Today, Ratac stands as a quiet sanctuary of the past – where stones remember, and the sea tells the rest.
