Hercules

Reason #57: the Greek god Hercules is part of Brač history

Photo source: Supetar Tourist Board

In Ancient times inhabitants of Brač worshiped Greek and Roman gods. Romans used the beautiful white stone from Brač to build their palaces (including the Deocletian’s palace in Split).

The stonemasons and quarry workers worshiped Hercules as their God of choice, their Main Man. It was a total bromance. Hercules was cool; strong, a bit wild, but chose the path of good, hardworking… just what you want in a god, right?

So, they carved him out. In stone, obviously.

There are three stone reliefs of Hercules on Brač. In the old quarry of Rasohe, near Splitska, you can see a relief of Hercules still in the rock (the photo above). Artistically speaking it’s not a very sophisticated rendition (probably done by an apprentice) but it’s really cool to see.  The other two can be seen in the Škrip museum (Muzej otoka Brača).

One of the Hercules reliefs at the museum in Škrip

The Rasohe quarry is worth seeing, in my opinion. It’s a nice 2km hike that starts in Splitska and ends in the quarry. More info here.

And now on a less serious note, here’s a little taste of Hercules, Hollywood style: