Beška (island)
island
Beška (Montenegrin: Бешка) is an islet in Lake Skadar in the municipality of Bar, in southwestern Montenegro.
Name
The alternative names of the island include Gorica, Beška Gorica, Beška Velja, Brezavica and Brezovica.
Geography
With the exception of the monastery, the 0.15 km2 (0.058 sq mi) islet is uninhabited. It was used by the villagers of Donji Murići (Muriq i poshtëm), hence it was considered part of the village's neighbourhoods. In this context, it appears with the name Murići in old maps.
Monastery
There are two churches in the Beška Monastery built on the island. The older church is St. George's Church, built at the end of the 14th century by Đurađ II Balšić the Lord of Zeta from 1385 to 1403. St. Mary's Church was built in 1438/1439 by his wife, Jelena Balšić.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Beška (island)” is island. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Beška and island, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “island” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q854651. Authority coordinates are 42.165, 19.229. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1385, 1403, 1438 and 1439.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Beška (island)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Beška (island) primary sources, Beška (island) archive and Beška research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Beška (island)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Beška (island)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.