MEDIEVAL ISTRIAN TOWNS

PAZIN
Pazin is mentioned in a document of the Emperor Otto II, issued in Verona on 7 July 983, upon which basis the castle came into the ownership of the Poreč diocese. In the 12th century, it was owned by the Count Majnhard, born in Crni Grad near Roč, the founder of the Poreč county. After the Majnhard family died out in 1248, the castle passed into the hands of the counts of Gorica. In 1374, it was passed on to the Hapsburgs and given in feud to various families, the last of which (from 1766) was the Montecuccoli family. From 1825-1861, Pazin was the administrative center of the Istria Interior. In 1899, the first Croatian secondary school in Istria was opened, which did much to contribute to Croatian culture and national awareness. During World War II, it suffered significant damage from bombing (1943), and following the war, it was annexed to Croatia. The castle, built upon a cliff above the abyss Jama, was first mentioned in 983. It received its current appearance between 1537-40, when the northern and eastern wings were added. The Pazin castle is one of the best preserved and loveliest in Istria. It has attracted the attention of numerous artists, such as Jules Verne and Vladimir Nazor.

The parish church, St. Nikola (St. Nicholas), was mentioned in 1266, and in 1441, and it received a late Gothic polygonal presbytery. On the walls and the vaults of the sanctuary, there is a series of wall paintings by an unknown author, from around 1470. On the vaults is the cycle of Creation of the World and the Battle of Angels, with the figure of St. Mihovil (St. Michael) in the center; the great painting of the crucifixion is hidden by the Baroque altar. The church was expanded with the chapels in 1659, and the Baroque additions and expansion were completed in 1764. The church was equipped with exceptional marble altars; the Renaissance stone Custody is particularly valuable (1541). The organ is the work of Gaetana Callida (Venice, 1780). The Franciscan Church has a late Gothic sanctuary from 1481; it was extended in 1729; the bell tower was erected in 1730. The main altar is the work of Domenica Cavalieri (1726). A significant work from the Baroque period is the carved Immaculate Conception (18th cent.).

The Istria Ethnographic Museum, situated in the castle, was founded in 1955. In addition to the ethnography collection, the bells of Istrian churches from the 14-20th century are on display.