St Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church

A medieval church situated on the Adriatic highway between Starigrad and Seline.

In the vicinity, there is a graveyard dating back to the mid-13th century.

Its eye-catching tombstones, made from hefty stone slabs, are still standing, sometimes decorated with simple, shallow relief forms from the period between the 14th and 16th centuries.

The church was built in the pre-Romanesque, old Croatian style, probably at the turn of the 10th century. Near the church, there is also a small building, which was probably used as a baptistery. ‘From the fragments, we are led to believe that the church was built with the help of the votive gift of a benefactress, as was the case with the construction of churches and chapels in the old Croatian period.’ – Rukavina, A., Zvona ispod zvijezda (A bell under the stars), ‘Ličke župe’, Gospić, 1984.

Over the past few years, archaeological research has been carried out at the site, which will certainly lead to new discoveries about the church.

Aside from the Church of Saint Peter, several other medieval monuments are situated in the area and are well worth visiting:

• the Holy Trinity fortress, situated approximately 6km west of Starigrad Paklenica, close to the small town of Tribanj-Šibuljina – one of the largest known fortresses from Mljet to Istria, dating back to the 6th century;
• a late Classical military hill fortress located above the town of Modrič;
• the Paklarić fortress, located in close proximity to Paklenica National Park at 100m above sea level. It is reached by a well-maintained, educational trail, and offers a magnificent view of the entire Podvelebit Channel;
• the Church of St. George in Rovanjska, a town situated approximately 10km from Starigrad-Paklenica.

*Taken from www.rivijera-paklenica.hr

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