Rovinj,
Rovigno: Rovinj is a typical example of Venetian town. It was fortified by walls in two
rows as early as the Middle Ages, with three town gates (restored and reinforced by Venice
in the 15th c.), later pulled down or integrated into new structures. The town is
dominated by the Baroque church of Santa Eufemia (1736). Rovinj-Rovigno was first
mentioned in the 7th century, under the name Ruvignio. From the 6th century it belonged to
the Exarchate of Ravenna; for several centuries it was under different feudal lords, from
1209 under the rule of the Aquilean patriarch and from 1283 under Venice.
On the fall of
the Venetian Republic in 1797 it came under Austria, in 1918 under Italy, in 1945 under
Jugoslavia, with the dissolution of Jugoslavia it passed to Croatia. Close to the harbour
are the clock tower, the Baroque Balbi's Arch (1680) on the location of the town gate and
the former Town Hall from the 17th century (today the Museum). There are several
Renaissance and Baroque palaces in the town. The town theatre building is at Valdibora
Square. The eastern part of the town comprises the complex of the Franciscan monastery
(with a valuable monastery library) with the church of St. Francis from 1810; and the
southern part of the town features the oldest monument of Rovinj, the Romanesque
heptagonal chapel of the Holy Trinity from the 13th century.
Divgrad
(Duecastelli) is an antique and medieval castle which was deserted in the middle of 18th
century. Today it is a suggestive ruine, it's situated 3 km west of Kanfanar (Canfanaro).
It consisted of 2 forts named Parentino and Moncastello. In Parentino, the remains of
which are still visible today, life ended at the beginning of the Middle Ages while the
neighboring fort Moncastello, known as Duecastelli, developed as a strategic point of
Venetian Istria and was settled right up until 1631 when due to an epidemic plague its
inhabitants fled to lower regions and established in Kanfar. The city was surrounded by
walls and towers situated at the very entrance doors and the preserved parametric walls of
220 buildings together with the direction of the streets and passageways between houses
still remain. On the central elevation are the remains of St. Sophia's Church dating back
to the 11th century.
Sveti
Vincenat (Sanvincenti), is a old village in the central part of Istria, 16 km north of
Vodnjan (Dignano). Here is a well preserved quadrangular castle with corner towers
and a quadrangular Renaissance square, one of the most beautiful in Istria, enclosed by
the fronts of the parish church, the citadel, the municipal loggia and a range of houses
in Renaissance style; in the middle of the square is a cistern. In the second half of the
15th century the Citadel was owned by the Morosini family, which extended the mediaeval
tower and erected the most important public buildings, the parish church and the municipal
loggia, in early Venetian Renaissance style. The oldest monument is the church of San
Vincenzo (XIII century) near the cemetery; it is a Romanesque structure of a rectangular
ground-plan with three written apses. A chapel with the Gothic vault was added to the
church (1466). Inner walls of the church are adorned with three layers of wall paintings.
Especially valuable is the Romanesque layer, painted along all the walls; the most
extensive Romanesque cycle in Istrian mural painting. The church of Santa.Caterina is a
simple Gothic quadrangular structure from the 15th century; in the altar space are wall
paintings from the 15th century; a portico was added to it in the 18th century. The Gothic
church of Sant'Antonio has a vaulted apse; it houses a Gothic sculpture of St. Anthony.
The parish church of Santa Maria Annunziata (end of the 15th c.) has a Renaissance trefoil
front; among artefacts in the church, the most interesting are a wooden carved door from
the 16th century; paintings Our Lady and Saints (Palma il Giovane) and The Annunciation
(Giovanni Porta-Salviati), two relief altars from 1555 and the main Baroque altar. The
church of San Rocco with a portico was erected in the 17th century.
Svetvincenat,
Sanvincenti: its square is dominated by the remains of a quadrangular castle with corner
towers, it was a fortification of the Venetian Republic called: Castello dei Conti
Grimani.
Svetvincenat,
Sanvincenti: Santa Maria Annunziata church (end of the 15th c.), it's the parish church it
has a Renaissance trefoil front; among artefacts in the church, the most interesting are a
wooden carved door from the 16th century; paintings Our Lady and Saints (Palma il
giovane) and TheAnnunciation (Giovanni Porta-Salviati), two relief altars
from 1555 and the main Baroque altar.
Svetvincenat, Sanvincenti: coat of arms of
the town.
Svetvincenat, Sanvincenti: inside view of
Castello dei conti Grimani.
BALE, VALLE D'ISTRIA
Bale (Valle
d'Istria), is situated in the south-western part of Istria, 15 km southeast of Rovinj
(Rovigno) on the road to Pula (Pola), that is 20 km away. Bale (Valle) was founded
during Roman age and was called Castrum Vallis. In 1332 it was under Ventian rule. The
town has maintained its mediaeval urban structure, there are remains of fortifications,
towers and gates. The parish church of San Giuliano was built in 1588 and enlarged in
1889, on the location of an early Christian basilica. The church treasures several
important works of art: the stone sarcophagus adorned with a pre-Romanesque relief (8th
c.), a wooden Romanesque crucifix, a wooden Renaissance polyptych, as well as reliefs on
the marble altar from the 15th century. In the small churches of the Santo Spirito (15th
c.) and Sant'Antonio are the remains of the late Gothic frescos. In the surroundings are
the ruins of the Romanesque chapels of the Nativity of Mary (one nave, two apses) and St.
Crvar. On the road leading to Vodnjan there are two small Romanesque churches of St.
Francis and St. Margaret with fragments of the 13th-century mural paintings. The local
language shows characteristics of the Istrio-Veneto dialect.
