Porozina
Encyclopedia
Porozina is a small port town in Croatia
, located on the northwest coast of Cres
. It is connected by ferry to Brestova
(Kršan
municipality) on the Istria
mainland.
The old town is situated upon a hillock
above the port, and in the last two decades a new holiday neighbourhood has been built.
there was a lighthouse
on the hillock above the port
, that is how the town got its name (Pharum insulae).
On this site today we find ruins of an old Franciscan
monastery
of Saint Nicholas
and an old Gothic
church, dating to the 15th century. The monastery was used by Franciscan Glagolitic monks of the third order, who managed to preserve Old Church Slavonic
as a liturgy language even up to the 13th century. The monastery edifice was abandoned in 1843, when it was also partly demolished. Its ruins manifest characteristics of the renaissance architecture
.
The church was victim of many robberies, and it was almost burnt to the ground in the 16th century. Remarkably, it withstood all those perils and it stands well preserved even today. Among its many distinct features are Glagolitic inscriptions on its walls.
offers good natural protection from all the winds, so this spot was the only one suitable for docking from time immemorial.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, located on the northwest coast of Cres
Cres
Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern island in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from the island Krk or from the Istrian peninsula ....
. It is connected by ferry to Brestova
Brestova
Brestova is a village in Croatia, located south of Učka Mountain ridge. It is connected by the D402 road, which links the Brestova ferry port, from where ferries fly to the island of Cres. The settlement is administered as a part of Istria County and Kršan municipality....
(Kršan
Kršan
Kršan is a village and municipality in the central part of Istria, Croatia, 15 km north of Labin. The elevation is 50 m. The population is 3.264 . The chief occupation is farming. Kršan is located on the regional road Vozilići - Podpićan....
municipality) on the Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
mainland.
The old town is situated upon a hillock
Hillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
above the port, and in the last two decades a new holiday neighbourhood has been built.
History
In the Classical eraClassical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
there was a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on the hillock above the port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, that is how the town got its name (Pharum insulae).
On this site today we find ruins of an old Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and an old Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church, dating to the 15th century. The monastery was used by Franciscan Glagolitic monks of the third order, who managed to preserve Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
as a liturgy language even up to the 13th century. The monastery edifice was abandoned in 1843, when it was also partly demolished. Its ruins manifest characteristics of the renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
.
The church was victim of many robberies, and it was almost burnt to the ground in the 16th century. Remarkably, it withstood all those perils and it stands well preserved even today. Among its many distinct features are Glagolitic inscriptions on its walls.
Geography
The settlement is situated in a cove on the north of the island. The coveCove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often inside a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are often considered coves...
offers good natural protection from all the winds, so this spot was the only one suitable for docking from time immemorial.