Guran Basilica near Vodnjan: a Carolingian church beside the old settlement

Updated November 7, 2026.

Guran Basilica near Vodnjan dates from around the turn of the 9th century. Its stone remains preserve a church plan with three aisles and three apses.

The church was 20 metres long and 10.7 metres wide. Three apses sit within its flat rear wall. A bell tower was added on the south side, probably during the Romanesque period.

The basilica was discovered in 1935 during road construction. Archaeological investigations uncovered fragments of stone church furnishings with interlace decoration and a tomb for relics.

The basilica and Old Guran

A fortified settlement lay about 60 metres southwest of the basilica. Archaeologists have investigated remains of houses, defensive walls and a monumental gateway there. The settlement was founded in the 9th century and appears in historical documents from 1150. The basilica stood outside the settlement walls.

The present-day hamlet of Guran, a small group of houses, lies south of the early medieval settlement. The map marks the basilica itself, in the countryside around Vodnjan.

Address: Guran, 52215 Vodnjan

Start navigation