defeated the Republic of Venice in 1797, Perast was faithful to Venice for several months, but in the end the city had to lower the flag of St. Mark. From that moment began the decline of Perast: along with the whole area of the Bay of Kotor, it was left to the Austrians and Italians, and then the French, and then again under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was in its composition to defeat in the First World War. In 1918, the city became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, and in 1941 it became part of the Italian province of Cattaro (Kotor). It was only in 1944 that the city gained independence in Yugoslavia and became one of the administrative areas of the Montenegrin Republic. Since 2006, the city has finally become part of an independent Montenegro. Geography Perast lies beneath the hill of St Ilija (873 m), on a cape that separates the Bay of Risano from that of Kotor, and overlooks the Verige strait, the narrowest part of the Bay of Kotor. The average yearly temperature in Perast is 18.3°C, and the number of sunny days is 240 (or around 2,500 sunny hours per year). Near Perast there are two islets: one is called Sveti Đorđe (St George) or Sveti Juraj and the other Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), and each has a picturesque chapel. Gospa od Škrpjela is particularly interesting given that it is the only artificially-built island in the Adriatic, with an area of 3,030 m², it was built upon a rock (Škrpjel) after two Venetian sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on it in 1452. Demographics Out of total population of Perast, 121 are male, while 148 are female. According to the 2011 census, the town had a total of 269 inhabitants, divided by ethnicity: Notable people Matija Zmajević, admiral of the Russian Navy Andrija Zmajević, Baroque poet, the Archbishop of Antivari, and theologian Krsto Zmajević, captain and merchant Vicko Bujović, Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Zadar, Croatia Tripo Kokolja, painter Gallery See also Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor References External links Information about Perast Bay of Kotor Perast Travel Guide Perast Attractions Cities in ancient Illyria Coastal towns in Montenegro Mediterranean port cities and towns in Montenegro Populated places in Bay of Kotor Populated places in Kotor Municipality