Lokrum Island is a small, lush paradise located just a short boat ride from the city of Dubrovnik in the beautiful Dubrovnik Archipelago.
This peaceful island is rich in history and legend and offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
One of the most fascinating legends associated with Lokrum is the legend of the curse placed on the island by a Benedictine monk.
Legend of the Lokrum curse originated when a French army general ordered the closure of the monastery and the expulsion of the Benedictines.
The Dubrovnik aristocratic families Gozze, Pozza, and Sorgo were chosen to convey these orders to the monks. They went around the island with the candles turned upside down this way three times,
which took the entire night, ceremoniously chanting the terrible and harsh words of the curse:
“Whosoever claims Lokrum for his pleasure shall be damned!”
At dawn, dead-tired, they embarked on a boat and left the island, never once looking back.
The legend of Lokrum has been around for centuries, and it was only recently that it was finally proven to be true.
The island is said to be cursed, and people have believed that it has brought misfortune to all who have owned it.
This legend, however, would have faded away if not for the tragedies which befell the family of the Austrian emperor and the Croatian king Francis Joseph I, whose family members owned Lokrum.
The execution of the emperor’s brother, Archduke Maximilian, in Mexico, the assassination of his wife Elisabeth at Lake Geneva,
and the suicide of his son and heir Rudolph in Mayerling violently and forever impressed the legend in collective memory and enshrouded the island in dark shadows.
According to legend, Richard the Lionheart was shipwrecked in 1192 after returning home from the crusades and was cast safely ashore on Lokrum.
He pledged to build a church on the island but, at the plea of Dubrovnik citizens, the church was built on the nearby mainland instead.
