Island Sveti Jerolim

St. Jerolim is an island in the Brijuni Archipelago. Together with the nearby island of Kozada, it is part of the National Park Brijuni. The island is accessible and for the safety of the people who come to visit take care the employees of the National Park. The island is 562m long and the highest peak is 19m above the sea level. On the northern side of the island there is a natural harbor surrounded by rocky dock. It is 3m deep in the harbour area. The south side of the island is a perfect place to swim along the cliffs which are surrounded by cypresses.

At the beginning of the 90s in 20th century, Sv.Jerolim became an integral part of the National Park Brijuni. From the end of the Second World War till the 90’s, it was a Slovenian holiday resort for disabled and also for girls from the criminal homes, who were often tattooed, which was very unusual at that time.

Domestic fishermen used to see them when they were trying to swim over to Fazana or Puntizela in order to escape from the island. Slovenien called Saint Jerolim “Stenjak“, because of its stone pit and large rocks that can be found on the island.

The quarries at Sv. Jerolim began to be exploited during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Stone blocks were taken to Venice, Pula and Veli Brijuni Island. All the buildings on the island, that served as dormitories, were built with these stones. Before the Second World War, the island was owned by an Austrian family who built a villa with a yard and two wells at the top of the island. A chapel was built at the end of one of the terraces of this villa, in honor of the patron of Saint Jerome, and that is exactly the reason why the island was named after this Saint. The chapel is not there anymore, only the foundations are visible. Below the hill is the entrance to the cave, which was cemented during the period of ex Yugoslavia. During the 2nd World War bombing, the cave was a safe haven for many locals from nearby Štinjan.

During the tourist season, the island is visited by approximately 150 -200 tourists coming from Pula, Fazana and Puntižela. Although Sv. Jerolim is uninhabited, there still live ten goats, 20 peacocks and one of the largest colonies of seagulls in the northern Adriatic. Similar colony exists on the island of Fraškeric near Banjole. There is a plan to bring some mouflons, sheep, and maybe some chickens or turkeys.

During the summer, there is a caffe bar, showers and drinking water. It is possible to swim and breath-hold diving, while fishing and scuba diving is strictly forbidden. A dozen of small boats and one bigger boat could fit in the harbor, the rest of the shoreline has to be always empty because there are tourist boats coming all the time.