Hiking Hvar: The Church in the Cave above Sveta Nedjelja

There is so much to discover on Hvar and, just when you thought you knew everything, along comes another hidden gem.

"I loved your guidebook, very useful, but there was nothing in your guidebook about the church in the cave," exclaimed one Sveta Nedjelja resident to me recently.

I had never heard of a church in a cave but went off to investigate, and sure enough, she was right. I am grateful to Teo Grgicevic of Stella Mare in Zavala for the pictures, as the hike is probably beyond me, but the views are certainly spectacular.

Below the mountain's peak of Sveti Nikola (626m), there is a cave in which the Augustinian monks built a church and monastery in the 15th century and stayed there until 1787. The remains of the church can still be seen today (see pic above) and the hike is among the most spectacular on the island. Have a look at some of Teo's pictures in the slideshow below. 

With the new access road from the main Hvar - Stari Grad road, Sveta Nedjelja is definitely worth a day trip, especially if you are feeling active. It also has some great beaches, some of the best rock climbing on Hvar, and is, of course, the home of the best wine of them all, Zlatan Otok.