Vodice

This small Gothic church was built in 1402 and was dedicated to St. Cross in 1421 when it was a parish church. It represents a typical example of the rural sacral architecture. A valuable detail is the old Romanesque-Gothic holy-water font on the pillar, a unique specimen in this part of Dalmatia.

Rakitnica settlemnt was mentioned in 1311 and today are still discerned the remains of the former houses and walls built in a dry-wall. A local church of St. John the Baptist, located close to the village, was built in 1445 when the parish of Rakitnica was founded. Masses are held twice a year, on the holidays of St. John the Baptist.

St. Mary's Church of Our Lady of Mercy is located on the small island of Prvić and is dedicated to the Merciful Mother. It is known when the works of the monastery started (1461), but it's still unclear when they finished. The monastery was reconstructed many times and completely renovated after the big fire in 1884. If you're planning to pay a visit to the church, know that the island can be reached by ferry from Vodice or from Šibenik.

The island of Prvić, with its two villages, Prvić Luka and Šepurina which are connected by a road, was inhabited in 11th century from people who run away from Turks. The land on Prvić island was mostly owned by noble families from Šibenik who built country houses on the island. Among them is also the mansion of the famous Vrančić family.

In the centre of Šepurina, near the coast, there is The Church of St. Rocco or St. Helen built and consecrated in 1620. Inside the church, there is a wooden altar of St. Rocco, richly embellished with Baroque ornaments.

On this rich archaeological site from the pre-Roman and Roman times about a hundred tombs have been discovered, out of which some date back from the 4th century B.C. According to the found artefacts and records of the Roman writers, experts identify this settlement as Arausona, a Liburnian-Roman settlement mentioned by Pliny. Tombs of the older layers of necropolis date back from the 3rd to the 1st century B.C., and they were made under the Hellenistic influence. A complex of blocks of houses made of fine carpeted stone, joined with clay, and later with mortar was also found here. The settlement was surrounded by defensive walls, made from the fractal stone, and was divided by streets. Some buildings had water tanks incised into the bedrock for collecting the rain-water.

Nearby Arauzona there is still a natural catchment, coved in Roman times, which domestic people today call Roman cistern and which served for the water supply of the local inhabitants, while the livestock watered in a puddle in the field, north of the settlement.

Beautiful, quiet, old, noble, stealing breath in front of every house. Solid, stone, steep streets, stone houses, each capturing attention with its particularity, still forming a harmonious, single whole story. It is a story of glitter and wealth that used to be, and laughter that once resounded along these streets. Population of Sepurine used to be greater than that of Vodice. Today unfortunately, it shares the destiny of all the places on the island. Prvić, with its two settlements, Sepurine and Prvić Luka, was first mentioned in the 11th century. It was substantially inhabited by people from Srima and Vodice who fled here in fear of Turks. In the 16th century, the island became a fashionable resort for Sibenik nobility, building their villas and summer residences on it.