Crkva Sv Eufemije (Church of St. Euphemia)

Crkva Sv Eufemije (Church of St. Euphemia) Review

Inside the 18th-century baroque church, the remains of Rovinj's patron saint are said to lie within a 6th-century sarcophagus. Born near Constantinople, Euphemia was martyred in her youth, on September 16 in AD 304, under the reign of Emperor Diocletian. The marble sarcophagus containing her remains mysteriously vanished in AD 800 when it was at risk of destruction by iconoclasts—and, legend has it, it somehow floated out to sea and washed up in faraway Rovinj! (Note the wall engraving just to the right of the entrance of St. Euphemia holding Rovinj in her arms.) Not surprisingly, Euphemia has long been among the most popular names in Istria for girls, and on September 16 of each year many people gather to pray by her tomb. In the church there's a great big mural on the wall in the sarcophagus room portraying Euphemia being picked at by two lions who, legend has it, didn't eat her, after all; she ended up being tied to a killer wheel. As at other churches in Croatia, a sign at the entrance makes it clear that no short-shorts or miniskirts (or dogs, or ice-cream cones, or lit cigarettes) are allowed inside. Judging from the scanty dress of some folks streaming inside in the summer heat, such rules can be bent, but you won't be let up the campanile unless you abide.