Hrastovlje Church of the Holy Trinity
One of the most beautiful historical sites in Slovenia as well as a place of worship, Hrastovlje Church of the Holy Trinity stands behind a wall erected for protection against Turkish attacks of the 16th century. Such defensive architectures are found throughout Slovenian-settled territory and are called tabor.
The church and wall were constructed on bare rock, and for this reason, there were no deep foundations. The church is built mostly of stone, as is typical for the entire coastal region. The stones were never completely covered with an outer layer of plaster, so it is possible to see how the church was built. One can see that the top of the church spire was rebuilt at some point, although it is unknown why. The church is roofed with tiles made of thick plates. These are typical for older roofs in the Mediterranean region.
The church has only 2 windows (the third window was walled up in the past) due to the local weather conditions. In the summer, a room with a small window was protected from the sun, while in the winter it was protected from the bora. Because there are few windows, the inside of the church is very dark. In 1896, a hole was knocked in the north wall to create a new window, but unfortunately, several frescoes in the church were ruined at the same time.
Despite the lack of windows, the church was still better lit than it is today. This is the result of the addition of the strong exterior wall, which has robbed the church of much of its light.
Because of its height, the Hrastovlje Church of the Holy Trinity is classified as a multi-layered church. The church in Hrastovlje is different from all other pilgrim churches in that its bell tower is located on the west side and that all other pilgrim churches have small wooden towers.
The church is 11.7 meters long and 6.05 meters wide and is, therefore, one of the smallest churches in the area. It is not even as big as the average village church. Some consider the church to be an example of Istrian Renaissance architecture from the second half of the 15th century.
The appearance of the northwest entrance to the church, as it is known today, originates from around 1776. The original entrance was probably next to the bell tower.
Location: Hrastovlje
