PARISH CHURCH OF ST. BLAISE
The construction of this three-nave basilica with a semicircular apse, presbytery, transept and a choir started in 1761 where once was an early Romanesque three-nave basilica destroyed in 1760. The church was built according to the model of the Church of St. Peter in Castello. It was consecrated in 1808, but was not completely finished.
Its size, 56,20 x 31,60 m and its 25-meter-high cupola make it the biggest parish church in Istria. In addition, it’s the church with the highest bell tower (62 m), similar to that of the basilica of St. Marco in Venice. The bell tower was built in 1815 according to the design of Antonio Porta from Trieste, and was finished only in 1882.
On the neo-Baroque facade of the church visitors are welcomed by five saints: Saint Blaise, Saint Peter and Saint Lawrence to the right, and St. Paul and St. Quirinius to the left. The statues, all of them in natural size except from the statue of Saint Blaise which is bigger, were constructed by brothers Andrea and Giovanni Trevisan, the sons of the self taught and widely known painter Venerius from Vodnjan.
The interior of St. Blaise is a Baroque space divided by arched arcade on pillars, there are nine altars from 19th and 20th century with richly decorated incrustations, marble and oil paintings of saints of great artistic value. The church has an extremely valuable inventory partially presented to the public in the museum which is an integral part of this sacral building.
MUMMIFIED BODIES OF SAINTS
What makes the Church of Saint Blaise so particular are the mummified bodies of saints. The relics of three saints lie behind the big altar are preserved body parts of St. Leon Bembo, St. Giovanni Olini and St. Nicholas Bursa. Vodnjan’s parish church also keeps 370 relics belonging to 250 different saints. The irrefutable scientific explanation of their preservation has not been determined yet. However, it is presumed that a body can be preserved for so long in certain conditions: when the temperature is low, if the person died due to arsenic poisoning or if the body was buried in the soil rich with iron and tannic acid.
OUR LADY OF CARMEL
The church is situated in the centre of the historical town nucleus at the beginning of the Trgovačka Street between the buildings. It was built in 1630 on the location of the Church of St. Sebastian of which there are no records, and it was consecrated and annexed in 1664.
Our Lady of Carmel is a one-nave Renaissance construction with a square apse, presbytery, choir and two chapels of different dimensions. The interior contains the altars from the 17th century located in the apse and side chapels of high artistic value (Venetian School of the late Renaissance period).
The front of the church is adorned by neatly elaborated and regularly assorted carved stone, while the side facades and the apse are covered in smooth plaster. The bell tower of the church is small in size and has one bell.
CHURCH OF ST. JAMES
It is considered the oldest sacral building in the town (9th century). It is located in the oldest part of Vodnjan in the Old Town.
St. James or Delle Trisiere (this other name is a folk abbreviation for the Holy Trinity - Santissima Trinita) is a one-nave church without an apse, with simple facades without decorative elements. This is the first parish church of Vodnjan dating back to as early as the beginning of the 13th century. One of the most important events from Vodnjan’s history happened there - the Statute of Vodnjan was written in it (1492).
CHURCH OF ST. CHATERINE
Due to its preserved Romanesque characteristics of architecture and style, it can be considered one of the oldest sacral buildings in the town. Its ground-plan is rectangular and it has a protruding semicircular apse. The front of the church has a rectangular entrance framed with massive doorposts and two smaller windows also framed with stone doorjambs.
CHURCH OF SAINT MARY TRAVERSE
It is located east of Vodnjan, outside the town. According to some sources, there was a small church here called Madonna della Fontana from the 12th century. A legend says, in 1229 St. Anthony of Padua stopped and founded a small monastery beside it.
The existing building was constructed in 1615, when it was adapted and enlarged, which can be seen from the inscription on its front. This is a pilgrim church of the Conventual Franciscans.
It is a one-nave church with a long apse and an elevated presbytery. The sacristy was built next to the western facade of the apse.
The restauration workshop of the Croatian Restauration Institute is situated in the church.
