The sandy beaches of Saplunara  are divided into Great and Small Saplunara. The part of Saplunara area makes also Blace, 500 metars  long sandy beach , that counts as one of the most beautiful beaches on this part of the Croatian coast, indeed. The bay of Saplunara is open to southwestern sea. It is about 1 km long in the narrowest part and about 350 m wide. The name comes from the Latin Sabulum meaning sand. The legend says that in 61.AD apostole St. Paul landed on this part of Mljet after his shipwreck and (according to St. Luca!) spent 3 months here preaching Gospel. He, most probably, was the one who named this area first! Above Zara there are ruins of a church that people still call St. Paul's church, and the official stamp of the Mljet  county from 1850. until 1921. was with St. Paul on it!