Hidden places in and around Kotor

Behind the apses of St Tryphon's Cathedral, in Zanatska Street, an old portal leads towards the former St Paul's Church (Sveti Pavle). Inside, the foundations of an earlier church's side walls and a stone floor laid in a diagonal checkerboard pattern are on display. An earlier entrance was also found in the narrow courtyard. It was reached by descending, as it lay below today's street level. The lower entrance and surviving side walls show that the original church differed from today's building in both size and its relationship to the street.

An inscription on the surviving part of the western facade records that Pavle Bari built the church in 1263. It was enlarged in the sixteenth century and later served as a barracks and prison. When it became a barracks, its interior was divided into two floors.

St Paul's is now an exhibition space of OJU Muzeji Kotor. Its ticket also covers two other museum spaces in the Old Town, while visiting arrangements change seasonally. In winter, the institution lists closure and the possibility of visits by prior arrangement. For times and conditions, use the published OJU Muzeji Kotor schedule. St Paul's Church on Google Maps.

On Pjaca Gospe od Andjela (Our Lady of the Angels Square), the Cats Museum (Muzej macaka) shows cats in old prints, paintings, books and postcards. Instead of a large exhibition hall, you find rows of smaller framed images. The same cat motif turns up in works made with different techniques and on different objects.

The museum opened in 2013 after Countess Montereale Mantica donated a collection of historic images. Gifts and purchases subsequently expanded the collection. The museum itself warns that stories of cats saving Kotor from plague or siege are not based on evidence.

This is a museum of cat images, so do not plan the visit as an encounter with live animals. Its usual opening season runs from May through the end of October. Check the particular day and the possibility of an out-of-season visit on the Cats Museum website. Cats Museum on Google Maps.

The City Gallery (Gradska galerija) is a small exhibition space between Pjaca od kina and Trg od Oruzja (Square of Arms). From the main square, you pass behind the Clock Tower (Sat-kula), through a courtyard with stone sculptures. A second entrance leads from Pjaca od kina. Both approaches take you to the ground floor of a former Franciscan convent, where contemporary art is now exhibited.

The gallery has operated under this name since 2005. Solo and group exhibitions of artists from Montenegro and abroad alternate here, so the reason to visit depends on the current exhibition. A historic building does not mean a permanent historical collection. You may find painting, drawings, sculpture or another form of contemporary expression.

To choose an exhibition and plan when to visit, check the announcements of the Nikola Djurkovic Cultural Centre. A name on an online map may also lead to a shop using the words "City Gallery". For this exhibition space, follow the entrance description from Pjaca od kina or behind the Clock Tower. City Gallery location on Google Maps.

In the northern part of the Old Town, St Clare's Church (Sveta Klara) preserves a Baroque altar made by Francesco Cabianca in 1708. Red and white marble alternate in its columns and decoration, while pale figures and gilded folds distinguish the central part of the altar. The church's more modest exterior gives little hint of its richly worked interior.

St Clare's is an active Franciscan church. Regular tourist visiting hours have not been confirmed. To see the altar, check the possibility of entry with the monastery or the Diocese of Kotor. St Clare's Church on Google Maps.

In the Sveti Stasije part of Dobrota, St Eustachius Church (Sveti Eustahije) stands above the coastal road. Broad steps lead towards its stone facade, and a tall bell tower with a clock stands out between houses and the mountainside. From the coast, the church is recognisable as the centre of this part of Dobrota, a separate settlement in Kotor municipality.

The present building dates from the eighteenth century, when Dobrota's maritime families invested in local churches. Artworks and a collection of Dobrota lace are associated with St Eustachius. They bear witness to the connections seafarers maintained with other regions.

There is a public square opposite the church, so an exterior view does not require entry into the surrounding courtyards. If you are interested in the interior or the lace, check with the parish whether a visit can be arranged before making a separate trip. St Eustachius Church in Dobrota on Google Maps.

Gornji Stoliv is a stone-built settlement on the slopes of Vrmac above coastal Donji Stoliv. The old walking route climbs through a chestnut forest, and the houses stand across steep ground. Views from their passageways open towards the inner part of Kotor Bay.

The bell tower of St Elijah's Church (Sveti Ilija) rises above the stone houses. Alongside surviving buildings, abandoned parts of the settlement are visible. This is not a maintained heritage village with open houses and a permanent exhibition. Do not count the house and church interiors as regular visitor spaces.

EXPEDITIO mapped the historic walking trail, and a more recent report also records the construction of a road between Donji Stoliv and Gornji Stoliv. The road's construction alone does not confirm that tourists can drive along it. The historic route is shown on the map of trails in the Kotor area. Check locally where the trail currently starts and whether it is passable. Gornji Stoliv on Google Maps marks the village, not the start of the climb.

On the hill above Trojica, Gorazda Fortress has a low, earth-covered form. An armoured turret rises above it, while a deep defensive ditch runs in front of the stone walls. Instead of a tall medieval wall, you see a fort designed for the military technology of the late nineteenth century.

Gorazda belongs to the Austro-Hungarian defences of the former naval base in Boka. The earth covering and the turret's armour protected the position from artillery fire. Its location above Trojica allowed oversight of the road approach to Kotor.

The National Tourism Organisation presents Gorazda as a destination for an outing and mentions signposts towards the fortress in its brochure. Check the final approach before setting out. No safe tourist visiting arrangements have been confirmed for the interior, trenches or roof. Plan to view the exterior, without entering abandoned rooms or climbing onto the fort's covering. Gorazda Fortress on Google Maps.

Beside the coastal road in Prcanj stands Tre Sorelle Palace, made up of three narrow connected sections. Each has its own roof, so three stone gables appear in a row when viewed from the street. Pointed Gothic openings and windows that are blocked to different degrees distinguish it from the neighbouring houses.

The palace dates from the fifteenth century and is associated with the Buca family. A written record from the sixteenth century uses the name Villa trium sororum, the house of three sisters. The legend tells of sisters waiting for the same seafarer, and of windows bricked up after their deaths. This is a story associated with the palace, rather than a confirmed biography of its residents.

The palace can be viewed from outside along the public coastal street. Regular tourist entry to the palace or courtyard has not been confirmed. Traffic passes beside the facade, so the map pin does not mark a place to park or linger. Tre Sorelle Palace on Google Maps.