INSTRUMENT FOR PRE -ACCESSION ASSISTANCE - Istra

is village above the Dragonja River has always overlooked its course.
In the past, it was one of the main trade routes, whereas today it is the border
between Croatia and Slovenia. According to archaeologists, living was organized
already in prehistory, whereas the Roman origin of the toponym Castrum Bonae
testifi es to the life in Antiquity. Its strategic importance is doubtless because the
position is perfect for overlooking the trade route in the Dragonja Valley. It is not
surprising therefore, that it was already then fortifi ed, as the fi rst part of the name
suggests. e second part is explained by presuming the temple dedicated to Bona
Dea, Roman goddess of fertility, existed here, although it was not found.
e deed of gift from 1186 confi rms that in 1028, the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad
II granted Costa Bonae to the Patriarch of Aquileia. e patriarchs enjoyed it for
nearly 200 years, and afterwards granted it to the Verzi noblemen from Koper.
e oldest preserved churches were built in the 15th c. e Parish Church of SS.
Cosmas and Damian from 1446, with a rectangular ground plan and a deep polygonal
painted sanctuary with a stellar vault, assumed Baroque traits in the 18th c. St.
Andrew’s Church is a cemeterial church, of similar elements as the parish church. In
26 I CENTRI STORICI DELLE CITTÀ
the center of town, a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Elias deacon was built in 1742.
It has an impressively sculpted main portal.
In the 18th c., Koštabona was referred to in written sources as a settlement with
some 30 hearths. However, already in the following century, the village fl ourished
with the sale of wood to the Austrians who needed it for ship building. e shape
of the town even nowadays indicates the existence of the one-time defensive walls.
VISIT:
Koštabona is known as the starting point of the tourist route called the Trail of
Springs (Pot vodnih virov) giving you a chance to discover its surroundings in a
diff erent way.
INTERESTING FACTS:
According to the local tradition, the church dedicated to the Blessed Elias was
built on the site of his home from the 1st c. It is also believed that the church was
dedicated to saints – pharmacists Cosmas and Damian, which stood at the site
of a pagan, pre-Christian temple dedicated to the goddess of health – Bona Dea.