History, Legends & Beliefs

Today, there are more than 18.600 active lighthouses widespread across the coast of the world land. Still, not many of them are open to accommodation.

Luckily, our St. Nicholas Lighthouse is one of them.

It carries the name of Saint Nicholas, who is today known as a saint protector of sailors and children. There are many stories about his life, how he had protection from danger during his over-shore travels. There is one about the pirates who attacked his boat but were turned into believers, and one about a terrible storm at sea where he saved his sailors through his prayers.

But there are also believes that he has the savageness of Poseidon with him. When he gets angry, he is said to unleash storms and hurricanes, which master the elements for good or bad. To this day, some fisher and sailors prefer to be ashore on Saint Nicholas day (the 6th of December). If being ashore wasn’t possible, they tried to anchor and not sail at all during the day. Every fishing and sailor family had an image of St. Nicholas with a candle in front, which should burn whenever a fisherman is at sea.

The lighthouse of St. Nicholas is situated in the central part of the north coast of the island, above the west promontory of the bay of Pučišća.

Austro-Hungarian Monarchy entered this location into the map of future Adriatic lighthouses because of the proximity of the quarry of Brač, situated at the opposite peninsula of the same bay. After the location for the lighthouse had been determined, the road – exceptionally preserved in its original condition, was built from the settlement Pučišća to the place where the lighthouse was to be built.

From the lighthouse further towards the west, there is only a seaway, leading to several hidden small bays. The legend has it that initially, it was planned to erect a vast stone lighthouse because of the abundance of stone material and available constructors. However, since the quarry workers were always busy with many Brač stone orders that are loaded into hundreds of ships, the building of the lighthouse was repeatedly put off. Still, in the end, in the vicinity of the most significant island quarry, in 1882, relatively quickly, one of the smallest Adriatic lighthouses was erected.

After the accomplishment, it was right away equipped with strong light lenses, and the resulting light beam was much stronger than today. At night, directed by white flashes from St. Nicholas, during many decades last ships sailing to Pučišća to load stone from the quarry were guided.

The lighthouse is a low square stone tower with a gallery and a small turret. The once lighthouse keeper’s flat has only 58 m2 and next to it is small storage and a water cistern, still in use.

In the courtyard of the lighthouse is a small chapel, and there are also ideas to install the statue of St. Nicholas at the promontory beneath the lighthouse.

The last lighthouse keeper was here on duty in the 80-ties of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 1990-is, the light in the turret was made automatic.

Since then and after the last lighthouse keeper had left, only rare voyagers drop by. In summer also the old Austro-Hungarian road leading to the lighthouse is closed for traffic. Thus, many tourists who spend their summer in Pučišća are not aware of this building – a valuable, cultural, and historical monument at the outer promontory of the bay.

Out at sea, especially during night when the strong north wind blows, the light of St. Nicholas marks the only safe refuge to every day greater number of yachtsmen who cruise along the northern coast of the island of Brač. Thus has – despite the modern satellite navigation, one of the smallest Adriatic lighthouses till today maintained its essential function in the east Adriatic sailing security system.