SV. JEROLIMISLAND

THE ISLAND OF SV. JEROLIM

Sv. Jerolim is a small island of Brijuni National Park, lying in the Fažana Channel between the Istrian coast and the main Brijuni islands. It covers 12.62 hectares, has 1.51 km of coastline and rises only 18 metres above the sea. Small as it is, it has pebble beaches, clear water for snorkeling, a short nature trail and a surprising amount of history.

Here is what waits for you on the island.

BEACHES AND SNORKELING

Right next to the pier there is a pebble beach with a shallow area where kids can swim and snorkel under their parents’ supervision. A second pebble beach lies on the south side of the island, and a rocky beach on the north side. All three are good places to swim, and each has a calm area for kids.

For more adventurous snorkelers there are two routes. The Blue path starts at the south pebble beach and follows the coast to the green lighthouse. The Orange path runs from the rocky beach on the north side to the pebble beach. Take care on the north-east side of the island, where the currents can be strong.

See every beach and snorkeling path on our Sv. Jerolim island map.

THE EDUCATIONAL TRAIL

An 800-metre educational trail leads from the shore to the highest point of the island, with a beautiful view over the Fažana Channel and the Brijuni islands. Along the way, information boards tell the story of the island’s plants, animals and history.

PLANTS OF SV. JEROLIM

By the variety of its plants, Sv. Jerolim ranks third in the Brijuni archipelago, right after the much larger Veliki and Mali Brijun. Mediterranean maquis and garrigue cover the island, together with pine and cypress trees planted about a hundred years ago. Unlike the big islands, Sv. Jerolim has no tall holm oak forests, so mastic, myrtle, mock privet, laurel and holm oak grow here as shrubs.

The island is at its most colourful in spring and early summer, when bunch-flowered daffodils, mallow, stonecrop and summer asphodel are in bloom. Its rarest plant is the rope grass, which can grow up to two metres tall. In the northern Adriatic it has only ever been recorded on this island.

ANIMALS OF SV. JEROLIM

The animals you are most likely to meet are seabirds, pollinating insects and lizards. The ruins of old stone quarries are perfect sunbathing spots for the ruin lizard, and the fragrant Mediterranean plants feed wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies almost all year round. In some meadows the park mows less often, so the flowers can feed these wild pollinators.

The yellow-legged gull is the most common bird here, and it nests on the island in spring. You are also likely to spot the Mediterranean shag, a strictly protected seabird. Brijuni is home to one of its largest communities in the Adriatic, and the smaller islands are important nesting grounds. The island has only one snake species, the green whip snake. Don’t worry, it is non-venomous and completely harmless.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The Fažana Channel, which separates Brijuni from the mainland, is 9.2 km long, up to 4.5 km wide and up to 36 m deep. In May 1379 the fleets of Genoa and Venice fought a sea battle here, between Sv. Jerolim and the neighbouring island of Kozada. The Genoese commander Luciano Doria fell in the battle, but his fleet captured 15 Venetian ships and won.

Five centuries later, when Pula became the main port of the Austro-Hungarian navy, the channel served as the fleet’s outer anchorage. Triple steel nets were stretched between the islands and the mainland to stop enemy ships, and you can still see their iron supports on the shore of Sv. Jerolim.

GOOD TO KNOW

There are no shops on the island, but next to the pier there is a beach bar where you can buy water, ice cream, coffee, soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits, as well as quick food. The toilet is right next to the beach bar.

Guests on our tour pay a reduced national park fee for Sv. Jerolim, almost half the regular daily entrance. It is paid in cash directly to the park and is not included in the tour price.

HOW TO VISIT SV. JEROLIM

On our Swim & Snorkel Brijuni Tour we first cruise around the islands of Brijuni National Park, then drop you off at the pier on Sv. Jerolim for about two and a half hours of free time. You get a mask and snorkel, and on board we show you the island map, so you know where to go. The tour lasts five hours and runs from 1 June to the end of September.