VODNJAN

Vodnjan (Dignano in Italian) is located in the southern part of Istria region of Croatia, very close to Pula.                            In the past, Vodnjan-Dignano was an important urban center and so today this town is an interesting destination especially for those who love art and culture.                                                                                                                    The city has preserved its distinctive medieval appearance – within the ring of houses are narrow and irregular streets. The city was first mentioned in 1150 as vicus Atinianum. In about 1300, a castle with a moat was erected on the western side (and destroyed in 1808). In the old part of the settlement, many houses built in the Venetian Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles have been preserved.
Today’s parish church, the Church of St. Blaise on the northern edge of the town now stands on the site where up until 1761, a pre-Romantic church stood (with fragments of braided ornaments). The current church is a monumental Baroque structure from 1800. It contains the Renaissance Custody from 1451, several valuable paintings from between the 16-18th centuries and two wooden angels from 1616. In the church are preserved mummified bodies of saints and a collection of relics.