The Legend of the apparition of the Lady of Zecevo Location of the apparition: Towards the north, 9 and a half kilometres via the sea and 13 km by land, lies the small island of Zecevo. It is 6 km in diameter, separated from the mainland by a gully, one that can be walked over during low tide. On that small island, hermit monks took up residence and built a small church in honour of the Lady of Zecevo. Historical facts: Written citation from book: “The Turks flooded over Vranski Kotar, came by Zadar on the 9th of February of the year 1500. From this point, having been bravely driven back, on the 15th of July, they rushed like mad dogs to the north, to pillage, burn and tear, and with the whole of their might, they even stormed onto Nin. But having been bravely beaten back from Nin as well – they took their vengeance on Nin’s holy object, the Lady of Zecevo. In their fury, the Turks took Zecevo by surprise, put fire to the church and the monastery, murdered the hermit monks, and took the statue of the Lady with them. It is not known how the Lady’s statue was returned later from the Turks, through a miracle or bought back from the people of Nin.” (end of quote) Nin’s bishop, Juraj Divic, from Sibenik by birth, took it upon himself to rebuild the church. According to the records, the sightings of the Lady are linked to the year 1516. At that time, the Lady, revealed herself to the widow Jelena several times. For fear that the outside world would ridicule her, the widow at first did not tell her people about the Lady’s appearance. However, once the Lady showed herself to her again with a message for the people, and when the widow Jelena came before the Lady’s statue and requested proof or a sign of the Lady’s appearance. And there, suddenly, the widow Jelena noticed tears rolling from both the Lady’s eyes. The widow Jelena rushed to announce the Lady’s appearance and hastened to the prelate of the Nin’s cathedral, so that many could come and witness the tears flowing from the eyes of the Lady’s statue. That same evening, some travellers also saw the tears pouring from the eyes of the Lady of Zecevo statue. The church authorities of that period, among such wondrous events, seen by so many witnesses, recognized the appearance of the Lady and since that time, her appearance has been celebrated each year on the 5th of May. From then to the present, the Saint day has been held, while each year, the Lady’s statue is taken to the island of Zecevo, either by land on foot or on boats by sea, where a holy mass is celebrated, attended by the residents from the parish diocese and beyond, along with all the faithful who believe in the Lady’s manifestation. The legend among the people states that the Lady’s statue was thrown into the sea by the Turks, and that the Lady herself “swam” into Nin. When she was half way to Nin, the church bells began ringing of their own accord, while the people in the fields marvelled at the miracle and rushed into the church. Since then, the Lady’s appearance has been venerated.
