The ancient Romans then made their mark from the 2nd century BC, leaving behind the ruins of a splendid palace, an early Christian basilica, and Roman baths, indicating that the town of Polace was once a thriving city in late antiquity.

Mljet is also important as a site of Christian pilgrimage. The island may not be the only island that claims to be the site of the shipwreck of St Paul the Apostle, but it is almost certainly the most beautiful island to do so. Some biblical scholars say that St Paul almost certainly spent three months on the pretty Croatian island of ‘Melita.’

In the 12th century, Benedictine monks arrived, building a Romanesque monastery on St Mary’s Island. They had total rule over the island and its subjects until 1410, when Mljet passed under the control of the Republic of Dubrovnik. The monastery is still there on the lake today, and is a superb place to visit on your Croatia yacht charter.