Poreč time machine

2000-1000 B.C.

In the Bronze age there is a first settlement on Poreč peninsula which

continues in the Iron age too.

1st century B.C.

Poreč gain the status of Roman municipality

1st century

Poreč become a colony of the Roman Empire called Colonia Iulia Parentium.

The Great temple is built.

Around year 304

The first Poreč bishop, Saint Maurus is being tortured and killed in

persecutions of Christians.

5th century

Saint Thomas church is being built on the northwestern part of the peninsula.

524 a.C.

Istria is ecclesiastically and administratively set by the consent of pope John I,

the Byzantine emperor Justin and the Italic king Theodoric. Dioceses of

Trieste, Kopar, Novigrad, Poreč, Pula and Pićan and probably Cissa near

Rovinj (an island drowned in year 800., that was a diocese until then) and

Sipar near Umag were established.

539 A.c.

Vitalian a genreal of emperor Justinian, occupied Istria.

Around 543 A.C.

Euphrasius became bishop of Poreč.

6th century

The cathedral complex of Euphrasius Basilica was built

End of the 6th, beginning of the 7th century

By the end of great migrations, Istria was devastated with the only exception

of coastal towns. The Poreč territory suffered too. Croatians occupy Istrian

hills and descend through the Mirna valley an Lim bay to the coast. Poreč had

a bad situation during the first two centuries of early middle ages, the

Croatian newcomers are representing a threat so pope John IV sends a friar

called Martin to bring the relics of tortured Mura from Poreč and others from

Dalmatia, to Rome.

751

Langobards shortly occupy Istria

774

The Franks (Charlemagne) took over langobard country (Italy) while Istria,

Venice and Gradež went to Byzantium. Istra is again under the Grado

patriarch.

788

Poreč belong to the Franks.

804

Poreč is mentioned in a note from the Rižana assembly, the most important

document from the early middle ages that states already settled feudal

relationships in Istria. In the note there are writings about the economic pover

of Poreč in relation to other Istrian towns. Istrian towns use to send an

amount of golden coins to franks general and Poreč, together with Pula, was

on top of the list with 66 golden coins paid.

810

Istria fell under the Franks rule after the peace negotiated between them and

Byzantium that regulated political disputes on the Adraitic. The Poreč

territory under the franks gets feudalized, remains of the old municipality

system in town disappeared, the town lose its territory and self chosen

officials are being exchanged with Frank ones. The tens of revenues were

introduced and citizens were requested to give personal services to the

feudataries. Along with church possessions, laic feudal possessions were

introduced too.

9th and 10th century

Poreč and other coastal towns are being attacked by Croats that fight for

predominance on the sea.

1000

The Doge of Venice Peter II Orseolo went to Croatia with his fleed and stays in

the Poreč harbour for the night. The day after, he visits the Basilica.

11th and 12th century

The bishop of Poreč is top of his power. His property, the so called Territory of

st Maurus was extended as an unity from the river Mirna to the Lim bay and

from the sea to Pazin – long 10 and large 8 miles.

12th century

Arabian geographer Abu-Abdallah-Mohammed-al, also known with the name

Edrisi, travels through Istria in the first half of the 12th century and writes

about Poreč as a regularly inhabited town that prospers and own a large

amount of ships.

1178

Pope Alexander III allows the bishop of Poreč to collect the tens of revenues in

Rovinj, Bale and Svetvinčenat.

1194

A form of self government was set in Poreč, called the Commune of Poreč.

13th century

The whole century was determined by clashes between the town commune

and feudal lords, the patriarch of Acquileia and the bishop of Poreč. A period

of harsh battles between bishops who considered themselves lords of the big

ager of Poreč and various powerful secular dignitaries. In that period was set a

so called „Euphraius privilege“ a false document (according to historians of

that time) that stated the whole ager is property of the diocese. The bishop of

Poreč complained to the Pope and receives the right to ex-comunicate his

opponents and sometimes the whole town. All of that affects the resigning of

Poreč to Venice, to gain support.

13th century

In the place of the early medieval church of st. Thomas, the Franciscans build

the church and the monastry of st.Francis. Only the church with early gothic

characteristics survived. In the 19th century it was deconsecrated and served

as the home of Istrian parliament for several decades and therefore today is

known as the Istrian parliament hall.

1251

The Canonic house was build, it is the most beautiful example of public

Romanic architecture in Poreč.

1270

The podesta's palace was built and a square surrounded by public buildings

was formed. There was a loge, a courtroom, a fonticus and other buildings that

served as center of the town's life in the middle ages. The palace was

demolished in the 19th century.

1277

Above the main altar of the Poreč basilica a high ciborium was risen. It was

decorated with mosaics and it is the newest preserved ciborium in Istria.

1305 or 1306

After bishop Oton's death and the fall of episcopal feudatary power, internal

conflicts in town ended.

1354

The town was robbed, devastated and destroyed by people from Genova. It

didn't recover for the whole century. During that attack, the relics of st

Maurus and st Eleuterius were stolen.

1360 – 1361

The first big epidemy of plague in Poreč.

15th century

The town experiences a quite powerful earthquake that damaged the basilica,

especially its south part that present a wooden ceiling from that moment.

15th century

Many representative buildings from the gothic period were redecorated,

especially those situated in the town center, on the crossroads between the

main Cardus and Decumanus. The most beautiful examples are Zuccato and

Manzin palace, the previous fonticus in Decumanus 5.

1413

Poreč fought the attack and siege of the Croatian – Hungarian king Žigmund.

1419

In order to improve water supplies for the town, a big cistern was built on

Marafor square.

1440

With an ordinance of the Venetian senate, Poreč together with Rovinj,

becomes a permanent base for Istrian peoti or pedoti that assured an

important position for the town within Istrian maritime towns.

1447

During the ruling of podesta' Nicolo' Lion the pentagonal tower on the town's

gate was restored. That was a major investment in reconstruction of the town

walls in that time.

1456, 1467, 1470

New plague epidemic diseases were annotated in the Poreč area. Entire

villages were emptied and many properties left uncultivated. People ran away

from the town, as well as the Podesta'. The bishop recommended to the priests

not to leave the dying alone without consolation on the death bed.

1473

During the ruling of Podesta' Pietro da Mula the round tower on the

southeastern part of the peninsula was finished. That was the final edification

on the defensive walls of the town.

1486

A print with the first known image of Poreč was made by the graphic artist

Erhard Reuwich from Utrecht and was published in the travel journal of the

prebendary Bernard Breidenbach (1440. – 1497.) from Meiz called

Opusculum sanctarum Peregrinationum in Terram Sanctam.

1580

The population in Poreč is a little over 500 people, about 5 times less than in

the 15th century.

1630

Harsh times for the life and economy in town, the population fell to only 30

inhabitants.

Mid 17th century

Giacomo Filippo Tommasini, the bishop of Novigrad, while traveling through

Istria described Poreč as a ghost town. He annotates that because of the

plague epidemy that happened 15 years earlier, the town has only 100

inhabitants: This unforunate and abandoned town of Poreč, once celebrated

by old writers, has beautiful streets with houses that were solid and made

with excellently embossed stone. That all talks about the past richness of its

citizens. Now those houses are demolished and barely stand anymore which

causes outraged thoughts to anyone entering the town. The people were

buried in the atrium of the Euphrasian basilica, in St.Francis church and in

other churches as a warning of the great anger of God that knocked on the

town in this century.

1655 – 1675

A population growth was recorded for the first time, mostly caused by the

immigration of refugees from Creta and Kandija. The Venetian administration

decreed the immigration of 64 families and the senate ordered the building

and reconstruction of 60 houses for them. They were given terrains for

agriculture in the town's surroundings. In 1655 Poreč has 180 inhabitants, in

1699 there were 500 and in 1675 grew to 700 people. Their arrival meant a

revival for the town, the rebuilding started.

1731

The bell tower of st. Francis church, started in 1708, was completed. It was

built in baroque style on the same place of a previous one demolished in 1686.

1751

The church of St.Francis, built in 13th century was transformed in the baroque

style. The master Giuseppe Montevinti from Bologna decorates the ceiling

with rococo stuccos of gentle forms while venetian painter Angelo Venturini

painted the ceiling with frescos (Immaculate conception, St.Francis Stigma,

the Vision of Anthony from Padua).

1797

The fall of the Venetian Repulic. The first Austrian ruling was set in Istria.

1806

A short Napoleon's rule was established. It lasted until 1813.

1813

The second Austrian domination was established.

1830

Antonio Peteani becomes the first bishop of the unified diocese of Poreč and

Pula. He was bishop of Poreč from 1826 to 1830 and bishop of Poreč and Pula

from 1830 to 1857.

1861

Poreč becomes the administrative center of the Margraviate of Istria, the place

of Istrian Regional parliament and Regional comitee.

1875

By founding the Regional eno-pomologic station, the foundations for the

Regional Institute for agriculture, were set as well (Istituto agrario

provinciale). This was very important for the development of wine making in

Istria.

1883

The first agricultural school was founded in Poreč. That meant agriculture was

considered an important economic activity in Istria.

1884

The first museum in Istria was founded in Poreč. It was called the Regional

Archaeologic Museum (Museo archeologico provinciale).

1885

The first sport society in Istria was founded, the rowing club Societa'

Adriatico.

1902

The Parenzana, a tight-railed train line started its activity. It connected Trieste

to Poreč.

1909.

The water supply system was constructed. It served Poreč with drinking water.

1910

The first hotel in Poreč was built – hotel Riviera.

1915

Frequent air attacks on Poreč started. Poreč was the port for Austrian

hydroplanes.

1918

Italian army entered the town. Their rule was definitely established by the

treaty of Rapallo in 1920.

1923

The Istituto Magistrale Regina Margherita opened. It was a pedagogical

school.

1927

The Municipal Palace was built.

1934

The Cooperative wine cellar was opened.

1934

The relics of St Maurus and St Eleutery were returned to Poreč from Genova.

The were stolen from the Basilica of St Euphrasius in the attack of the

Genoveses in 1354. Until then they were kept in St Mattew church in Genova

until the Doria family returned them to the Poreč basilica.

1940

The local water supply were connected to the Istrian water supply (Acquedotto

Istriano)

1944 – 45

The town was repetitively bombed by the anglo-american forces. Poreč was

heavily bombed by the very end of World War II and almost quarter of the

town was destroyed during the attacks. Even buildings not directly involved in

the attacks suffered from damages.

1953

Tourist company Riviera was founded.

1957

Tourist company Plava Laguna was founded.

1997

The cathedral complex of the Basilica of St Euphrasius was included in the

UNESCO heritage list.