Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Božje Polje

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Božje polje (God’s field) is a cemetery church already mentioned in the 12^th century and today’s late Gothic one-nave building dates back to the 15^th century. Above the polygonal sanctuary you can see the starry, ribbed vault, which is decorated with frescoes in vivid colours, depicting characters of the Evangelists, Apostles and angels. The frescoes were thoroughly restored in the 18^th century and have recently been cleansed and refurbished with modern technology. Parts of the wall paintings were preserved on the walls of the church and in the nave. From 1536 to 1805 there was a monastery of the Glagolitic Franciscans next to the church, and the church in Božje polje today is a place of pilgrimage for pilgrims from all over Istria on Assumption Day.

Around the church there was one on the old settlements in the area of Vižinada, but it was not preserved. At least from the Middle Ages, the church was an important pilgrimage site at the crossroads of the old roads between Pula and Trieste, respectively Poreč and the inland.

On the stone architrave of the cemetery at Božje polje, it is said that the character of Attila the Hun is chiselled. Why on a cemetery gate? Collectors of legends claim that this is not an unusual place, since people were superstitious and convinced that Attila’s character was protecting them from demons. This scary face of the conqueror is putting off demons that are to harass the souls of the deceased.