Bratulići – Church, History and Regional Impressions

Bratulići can be understood through two specific features: the Church of Our Lady of Good Health near Hreljići, which serves Bratulići, and Agroturizam Bratulići, which offers tastings and catering. The wider destination of Općina Marčana also includes other churches, historical sites, trails and coastal landscapes. You can therefore treat local history and regional impressions as distinct focuses for your trip.

Church and Local History

The Church of Our Lady of Good Health near Hreljići preserves an early modern interior with three marble altars, statues and paintings. The building also has a forecourt and a stone bell tower with two bells. The church is considered a Marian shrine in southern Istria. If you are planning a visit, check locally in advance for visiting arrangements and services.

The building’s history also connects several places: residents of Bratulići and the surrounding villages sought permission to build a church near Hreljići. The church was completed two years later. This joint undertaking gives the church a connection beyond Bratulići, while keeping its local context in view.

Tastings and Catering

Agroturizam Bratulići offers tastings and catering. If you would like to include these offerings in your plans, check the opening hours in advance, as they may change.

In the Wider Destination of Općina Marčana

The Municipality of Marčana has a 36-kilometre-long, indented coastline extending in the north from Raša Bay to Budava Bay in the south. The coast drops steeply into the deep waters of the Adriatic and includes green peninsulas and hidden coves. To get your bearings in the municipality, the town of Marčana lies north of Pula, at the intersection of the Pula–Labin and Vodnjan–Krnica roads.

Other cultural and historical landmarks offer different points of interest. In Mutvoran, the main altar of the Church of St Mary Magdalene was created in 1533; the parish Church of St Peter and St Paul in Marčana dates from the 15th century. In Rakalj, the birthplace of Mijo Mirković houses a memorial collection about his life, literary work and legacy, as well as Rakalj’s local pottery tradition. The House of Cycling in Loborika displays historical results, photographs, medals and trophies of BK Loborika, as well as a video about the life and sporting achievements of cyclist Nevio Valčić.

Stari Rakalj is home to the ruins of a former medieval castle and the Church of St Agnes. A pilgrimage also marks the regional calendar: it takes place each year on the second Sunday in October at the church of the same name in Hreljići. The exact programme may change; check in advance if you are interested.

Coastal Features and Trails

At Školjić Beach, two underwater arches lie at a depth of three metres and are suitable for swimming through. The beach is 2.5 kilometres from Kavran and can be reached via a local road and gravel tracks. The trail to the St Agnes viewpoint in Rakalj offers a different perspective on the landscape: it runs for about two kilometres through Mediterranean maquis and past old dry-stone walls. The Camino South Istria pilgrimage route is 193 kilometres long and passes through the municipality of Marčana.

Discover more destinations: Šarići, Pavicini, Loborika, Divšići, Cokuni, Marčana, Krnica, Belavići

For the wider travel overview: Općina Marčana.