Vodnjan is a small town in Istria, near the city of
Pula. Nowadays this town is a very interesting destination for our guests, especially for
art and culture lovers. During a relaxing stroll through the old part of town, you will notice numerous editions of different historical periods such as the Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic era. We would like to point out the
church of St. Blaz, whose bell tower is the highest in Istria -
62 meters. The church houses
preserved mummified bodies of saints and relics.
The Church of St. Blaz was
built in 1800 and has been built for 20 years. The peculiarity and interesting fact about this church is that it houses 3 mummies, which are among the
most preserved mummies in Europe.
One mummy´s body belongs to
Bishop Leon Bembo, who died in 1188. His remains were
exhumed after numerous people claimed that it was Leon Bembo, who was
responsible for their healing, by watching over his grave. People who were then present after his remains were taken out of the grave, were left in shock at how well the body was preserved. An interesting story says, that when the body was laid in the church, all the patients in the vicinity of the church were suddenly healed, while a
blind girl got her eyesight back in 1210. Bishop Bombe was especially sought by couples in cases of marital infertility. His feast day is
celebrated on 11th September.
The second mummy´s body belongs to
Don Ivan Olinije who died in 1300. During his service in Venice, a plague broke out. He gave confession and communion to the people who were very ill. His specialty was
visiting dying patients, those no one else wanted to visit because of their fear of infection. As nothing had ever happened to him or neither he ever got infected, he was called a "
living saint" and a "
walking miracle". He died at the age of 85 and was called a
protector against the plague.
The third mummy´s body belongs to
Saint Nikoloza Bursa, who died in 1512. Similar to the last two mummies, she was thought to have
contributed to many healings. Her body is considered the most preserved mummy in Europe. This nun was able to heal the sick, and even today
many believers come to find healing in the church of St. Blaz in Vodnjan.
We are sure that we have awakened
great curiosity in you as well as the wish to see this
phenomenon and wonder by yourself. What makes this story even more interesting, is that all three mummies were X-raid in 2010 and were found to contain organs such as the brain, hearts, lungs, veins ... incredible, right? As it would be an
amazing trip and an experience to see all these parts of history in person, we are sure that you won't think for a long time and simply head to this
beautiful and mystical place of the small Istrian town of Vodnjan. Book
one of our beautiful villas with pool in Istria and visit this unique little place that
hides big secrets.
Jelena Maric
17.2.2023
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
