Church of the Nativity of Mary (U Gospoje), Lopar

The votive church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the older of Lopar's two churches. Local people call it simply "U Gospoje", and it stands on a hill in the pine woods near the ferry landing, a little away from the village and its beaches. Ferries from Valbiska on Krk land close by, so for many visitors arriving from Krk it is the first church on Rab they pass. It is mentioned in records as early as the 14th century.

The church is small, and its interest lies in what it holds. The altar has a valuable wooden late-Romanesque relief from the 14th century showing St Anne with the young Mary. Around the altar hang votive gifts left by generations of islanders: ship models offered by seamen, and rows of women's headscarves, given by girls and women in thanks or in hope. The scarves in many colours hang along the walls on both sides of the altar.

The church's great day is 8 September, the feast of Mala Gospa, the Nativity of Mary. It is a pilgrimage day for the whole island, when believers from other parishes of Rab make their way to Lopar, and it is also celebrated as the Day of the Municipality of Lopar. At other times the interior is seen when the church is open for services.

Lopar's other church, the parish church of St John the Baptist, stands in the village centre with a statue of the saint in front of it. The church of the Nativity belongs to an older layer of the island's past, from the time when Lopar was a scattered farming and fishing community on the northern tip of Rab. The walk up to it through the pines is short and makes an easy break from the beaches.