A free walk through Peroj opens a new cycle of the “Experience the Vodnjan Area” programme
The Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan is organising a free guided tour, “Experience the Vodnjan Area – Discover Peroj”, on Saturday, 16 May 2026, dedicated to one of the most recognisable settlements in the Vodnjan area. According to the events calendar of the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan, the tour begins at 11 a.m. and lasts until 12:30 p.m., with the gathering announced in front of the Church of Saint Spyridon in Peroj. The programme is open to visitors and the local population, and it is conceived as an interpretive walk through the history, sacred heritage and identity of a place that stands out in Istria for its exceptionally layered past. Participation is free, making this tour accessible to everyone who wants to discover Peroj beyond the usual tourist view of the coast and beaches.
Peroj is located in the southwestern part of southern Istria, near Vodnjan and Fažana, in an area that connects the Mediterranean landscape, the sea, sacred monuments and traces of different historical periods. The programme announcement emphasises that the first tour of this year’s “Experience the Vodnjan Area” cycle is dedicated precisely to Peroj, a settlement that has shaped its own cultural and religious identity over the centuries. Such a choice is no coincidence: Peroj is known for its Montenegrin Orthodox community, the Church of Saint Spyridon, the old Church of Saint Stephen and the coastal area that was connected with seafaring and trade for centuries. Interested visitors planning a longer stay in the surroundings can also look for accommodation near Peroj and Vodnjan, especially if they want to combine the tour with sightseeing in the wider Vodnjan area.
A settlement whose layers can be read from prehistory to the Venetian period
According to tourist and cultural descriptions of the Vodnjan area, the roots of Peroj reach deep into the past, and traces of life in this area are linked to the prehistoric and Roman periods. The original descriptions of the place state that in Roman times the area was known by the names Praetoriolum or Casale Petriolo, while its mention in a historical context is also connected with the Rižana Assembly of 804. Such data indicate that Peroj did not emerge merely as an early modern settlement, but as an area of long-lasting continuity, in which economic, religious and demographic influences alternated. That is precisely why the guided tour is not only a walk from one landmark to another, but an opportunity to understand the way in which local identity was created through several historical layers.
A major turning point in the history of Peroj occurred after the period of epidemics and depopulation that affected parts of Istria. The original text states that, after the great plague of 1561, this area was gradually repopulated thanks to the initiatives of Venetian administrators. From the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 17th century, families of the Greek Orthodox faith arrived in Peroj from Montenegro, with particular emphasis on the settlement of 1657, which left a lasting mark on the culture of the place. According to the data of the Vodnjan Tourist Board on the Church of Saint Spyridon, the Orthodox Montenegrins who settled in Peroj in 1657 initially did not have permission to build their own church, but used the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas in Pula for religious rites.
Saint Spyridon as the centre of Peroj’s spiritual identity
The central point of Saturday’s gathering will be the Church of Saint Spyridon, one of the most important symbols of Peroj and its Orthodox community. According to the data of the Vodnjan Tourist Board, the people of Peroj received permission from the Venetian Republic to build their own church only in 1788, after 130 years, while the Church of Saint Spyridon received its present form in 1834. This time span shows how strongly the question of the church was connected with the position of the settled families, their religious practice and the need to establish their own spiritual centre in their new homeland. For this reason, the church cannot be viewed only as a sacred building, but also as a historical document about migrations, adaptation and the preservation of identity.
According to the official description of the Vodnjan Tourist Board, the church preserves icons and an iconostasis from the 16th century with depictions of Greek saints. Saint Spyridon, to whom the church is dedicated, is mentioned in tradition as a miracle-worker and protector of sailors, and a legend about calming a storm so that ships could safely reach harbour is linked to his name. Such a tradition is especially understandable in a coastal area where the sea, navigation and small harbours played an important role in everyday life. Next to the church stands a bell tower with a dome from 1860, and behind it is an Orthodox cemetery, which further testifies to the distinctiveness of Peroj within the Istrian religious and cultural landscape.
The Church of Saint Stephen: a monument with visible traces of a turbulent history
Another important point of the tour will be the Church of Saint Stephen, located on the edge of the old settlement. The original text states that it is assumed to have been built between the 7th and 11th centuries, while restoration reports point out that conservation and archaeological research indicate the 11th century as the time of its origin. The church was originally a single-nave building with three square apses on the eastern side, making it exceptionally interesting for understanding early medieval sacred architecture in Istria. Its history, however, was not linear: after changes in the religious and social life of Peroj, the building eventually lost its original sacred function.
According to the Regional Express report on the completion of restoration and conservation works, the Church of Saint Stephen was neglected during the 17th and 18th centuries, and the Austrian authorities later nationalised and sold it. The building was then remodelled and adapted for economic use, so for almost two centuries it served as a stable and storage space. In the middle of the 20th century it was registered as a cultural monument, and the purchase procedure was completed in 2000, when it became the property of the Town of Vodnjan. This information is important for understanding today’s restoration: it is a monument that survived neglect, changes of use and physical alterations, but precisely because of this retained an exceptionally layered historical value.
Restoration and conservation works, according to the same report, brought new insights into the original appearance of the church, including a possible bell tower on the façade and the remains of wall paintings in two layers. Fragments of frescoes have been preserved in the church, and the original text also mentions reliefs, wall paintings and a masonry tomb inside the building itself. The works took place from 2008 to 2013, after which the church was reopened as a cultural site. A special feature of the restoration was that the traces of later changes of use were not erased; instead, different layers of the past were preserved, so visitors today can see both the sacred core and the consequences of a long period of desacralisation.
The Peroj coast, Portić and the maritime connection with Vodnjan
Peroj cannot be understood without its coast, limestone rocks, pebble beaches and small coves stretching towards Portić and Marić. The original text points out that the small harbour of Portić was an important Vodnjan port for centuries, through which trade was conducted with Venice and other Adriatic towns. This detail connects the interior of the Vodnjan area with the sea and shows that the history of the place is not linked only to churches and settlement, but also to the economy, transport and the everyday needs of the local population. In this area, the sea was a source of food, a transport route and a link with larger political and commercial systems.
Such a coastal position gives additional context to the legends of Saint Spyridon as the protector of sailors, but it also explains why Peroj developed as a place where inland and maritime identities meet. A walk through the settlement and its sacred points can therefore continue towards the coast, where history is read in the landscape just as much as in architecture. Limestone rocks, Mediterranean vegetation and pebbly parts of the coast are today part of the tourist image of the place, but in the past they were part of the working space of inhabitants who lived from the land, the sea and trade. It is precisely this connection between space and history that is one of the values of interpretive tours such as those organised by the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan.
A programme that connects residents, visitors and local heritage
The “Experience the Vodnjan Area” cycle fits into the broader trend of guided cultural walks through which local heritage is brought closer through storytelling, direct contact with the space and expert interpretation. According to the announcement of the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan, the tour of Peroj is part of a programme intended to bring closer the rich history, tradition and cultural heritage of the Vodnjan area. Such content has special value in destinations that are not defined by a single attraction, but by a network of smaller yet content-rich localities. In the case of Peroj, it is precisely the combination of Orthodox heritage, an early medieval church, the coast and the Montenegrin historical layer that makes the settlement recognisable.
For visitors, the guided walk enables an understanding of details that are easily overlooked during an independent tour: why the Church of Saint Spyridon is important for the identity of the place, why the Church of Saint Stephen is precious even after centuries of neglect, how Portić is connected with Vodnjan trade, and why Peroj is often described as one of the most authentic places in southern Istria. For the local population, such programmes can be a reminder of the layers of history found in their immediate surroundings. At the same time, space is opened for the sustainable presentation of heritage, in which the emphasis is not placed on mass visits, but on understanding and preservation.
Practical information for tour participants
The tour “Experience the Vodnjan Area – Discover Peroj” will take place on Saturday, 16 May 2026, starting at 11 a.m. According to the events calendar of the Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan, the planned duration of the programme is until 12:30 p.m., and the meeting point is in front of the Church of Saint Spyridon in Peroj. Participation is free, and the programme is intended for everyone who wants to discover the history, tradition and special features of the settlement through a guided walk. Since the tour takes place outdoors and includes sightseeing around the settlement, arrival in comfortable footwear is recommended, as is planning to arrive a few minutes before the start.
Peroj is interesting in the tourist offer of the Vodnjan area precisely because, in a relatively small space, it combines a coastal landscape, sacred monuments and a living memory of settlement. Saturday’s programme will not be only a presentation of individual landmarks, but a walk through the story of a place that, according to available official and local sources, has managed to preserve a recognisable identity for more than three and a half centuries since the settlement of Montenegrin families. The Church of Saint Spyridon, the Church of Saint Stephen, Portić and the Peroj coast together form a framework for understanding a settlement in which history is found not only in archival data, but also in the space through which people pass every day.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan – events calendar with the date of the programme “Experience the Vodnjan Area – Discover Peroj” (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Vodnjan – description of the Church of Saint Spyridon, the history of settlement, the iconostasis and the bell tower (link)
- Visit Vodnjan / Croatian National Tourist Board – tourist and cultural description of Peroj and its Orthodox heritage (link)
- Istra.hr – overview of Istria’s sacred heritage and the Church of Saint Stephen in Peroj (link)
- Regional Express – report on the restoration of the Church of Saint Stephen in Peroj and conservation findings (link)