The Church of the Holy Spirit in Bale: 15th-century frescoes
Bale’s Church of the Holy Spirit preserves frescoes from the second half of the 15th century. Scenes of Christ’s life cover its walls and pointed vault.
The small stone church stands beside Bale’s historic centre, close to the main square and Soardo-Bembo Castle. It has a rectangular plan without a projecting apse. A pointed portal, rose window and bell-cote mark the façade, while stone slabs cover the roof.
The arrangement of the painted scenes
The paintings follow the shape of the small, single-nave church. Scenes on the side walls form two tiers, with the upper tier extending onto the vault. Ornamental red-and-white borders separate the pictures. Among the surviving scenes, the Flight into Egypt is on the south side and the Last Supper on the north.
The altar wall serves a different purpose. It depicts the Throne of Grace, the Virgin and Child and saints, with a painted polyptych, a multi-panel altarpiece, below. Opposite the sanctuary, around the entrance, are Paradise and Hell, together with angels holding trumpets and scrolls. Alongside the stories of Christ’s life, the paintings thus address humanity’s fate after death.
Albert of Constance and his workshop
The frescoes are attributed to Albert of Constance and his workshop. The master came from the city on Lake Constance. Inscriptions in Paz and Plomin attest to his work in Istria.