Its current, Romanesque, form dates back into the 12th century. This very old building, relatively big and simple in its forms, is located downside the hill near to the harbour. In 1177 the Pope Alessandro III on his trip from Pula to Venice made a visit to this church.

When you get back into the car and decide to leave Vrsar, I would advise you to take the road that goes towards Porec and after few hundred meters, on your left side, you will note a big park with several sculptures spread on it. This is the house of the famous artist Dusan Dzamonja. Dusan Dzamonja's sculpture park is open during the whole year and free for the visitors.

In Vrsar’s photo gallery you will find few pictures of this lovely Istrian village.  

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VRSAR – HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Vrsar is another very old Istrian town that was inhabited since prehistoric times. On the hills around Vrsar the remains of the prehistoric hill fort settlements were found.

Ruins of seaport constructions, a large Villa rustica and a quarry have been found alongside the seashore dating back into Roman times. Vrsar was not a town in the Roman period but simply a settlement.

It was a commercial centre near to the harbour and a military castrum on the top of the hill. At the time Vrsar was named Ursaria.

The origin of the name could derive from an antique pre-Illyrian word “ur” that means springs of water. Vrsar and nearby Funtana had natural water springs since prehistoric times.

It is interesting that in the 4th and 5th century a large Christian sacral complex was built on a fundaments of a Roman villa and later on wholly demolished.

It is not sure if the complex was destroyed during the Slav-Avarian inroads into Istria at the beginning of the 7th century or earlier in the mid of the 6th century during Byzantine conquer of Istria. It is more likely the first version. Only floor mosaics with figural motifs from that complex have been preserved and are worth to be visited.

Vrsar was also nominated by the anonymous geographer from Ravenna in the 7th  century. After the fall of the Roman Empire Vrsar was ruled by Goths than was part of Byzantine Empire and later on was ruled by Carolingian Kings.

In 983 Vrsar was donated by Ottone III to Porec’s Bishops and remained their feud for almost eight centuries, until 1778. Bishops of Porec were also named Counts of Vrsar.

During the Middle Ages Vrsar was a fortified settlement and the centre of the feudal seat of the Porec Bishops. It is likely that the building of the castle started by the Bishop Orso in 1050 and someone assumed that the name Orsera could be linked with the name of that Bishop.

Vrsar was attacked and occupied several times by Counts of Gorizia: in 1200-1213 and later on in 1259. In 1301 the Aquileia Patriarchs after a dispute with Porec’s Bishop Bonifacio, regarding feudal rights over Rovinj, attacked and burned Vrsar.

In 1778 Porec’s Bishop Negri died and Venetians, after eight centuries of Bishops leadership, took over the administration of Vrsar. It is important to say that since 13th century Vrsar was a free Municipality with its own statute.

With the fall of Venice, Vrsar became a part of the Austrian Empire and for a short period of time was under Napoleon domination. In the 19th century family Vergottini bought the castle of Vrsar.

After the First World War and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Vrsar, was part of Italy and after the Second World War became part of Yugoslavia (Croatia).

During the Italian Fascist period in Istria many Istrian families suffered from the regime or had to leave Istria. Fascism in Istria applied various repressive measures mostly towards Slav populations and this created the Antifascist Movement. The Second World War was a very painful experience for the Istrian population and many innocent Istrians, both Slav and Latin, died during that war.

After the second World War Vrsar became part of Yugoslavia (Croatia). There were three agreements between Yugoslavia and Italy which established that Istria would become a part of Yugoslavia: Paris Agreement of 1947, London Memorandum of 1954 and the Osimo Agreement reached in 1975.