A small town packed with treasures

Far to the western reaches of Istria, the town of Porec, Croatia, lies on a peninsula and, from 1902 to 1935, was linked to Parenzana by a small railway line. First founded by the Romans in 129 BCE as a military camp, it had grown into a “municipium” known as Colonia Julia Parentium by the 1st century CE. The old town still retains the original cruciform street layout from those olden times, with a long central road, the “decumanus”, lying at right angles to another main road, the “cardo maximus”, off which run endless narrow lanes.

 

These streets are lined with light-colored paving stones polished smooth with age, their medieval houses and Gothic and renaissance palaces still exuding an air of prosperity tempered by the solemnity of antiquity. Having wandered through the intricate maze of narrow lanes overflowing with souvenir shops whose bright signs mask gracefully ornate facades, and made one’s way across Marafor Square with all its knick-knack and gaudy parasols, down past the canons’ house, an unexpected splendor comes into view, at the end of a discreet and inconspicuous passage.

The Basilica of Euphrasius, together with its baptistry and bell tower, is altogether exquisite and, not surprisingly, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The majority of Porec’ population had converted to Christianity towards the end 1st century CE. The Basilica was constructed between 539 and 553 by Bishop Euphrasius, and is a remarkable synthesis of Roman architecture and Byzantine art. Splendid mosaics fill the apse, glittering with gold, colorfully outlined figures representing popular themes from the New Testament: Christ in Majesty, the Virgin and Child, and the Annunciation. Saints, angels and Bishop Euphrasius himself, carrying a model of the basilica, are depicted all along the apse in a state of beatific grace.