The Poreč Cathedral is one of the most important cultural and historical monuments on Croatian soil, and its importance on a global scale was recognized by UNESCO, including it in the list of world cultural heritage in 1997.
The cathedral complex is located on the northern side of the Poreč peninsula and includes not only the church, but also the bishop’s palace, the baptistery, valuable archaeological remains of older churches and mosaics, painting techniques from the 3rd century.
The magnificent three-nave cathedral was built on the foundations of early Christian churches from the 4th and 5th centuries, as evidenced by the famous floor mosaics. The construction was commissioned in the 6th century by the bishop of Poreč, Euphrazije, after whom the basilica is named.
Historical sources do not say much about Bishop Euphrasius himself. It is known that he was originally from Thrace, and that he became bishop in Poreč after the Byzantine Emperor Justinian conquered Istria. Euphrasius dedicated the basilica to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the patron of the city St. Maura, and he decorated its apse with one of the most beautiful preserved early Byzantine mosaics in the Mediterranean, which, among other things, show him with a basilica in his hand.
Due to its architectural complexity and gradual creation through different historical periods, the Euphrasian complex has remained an inexhaustible source of historical knowledge and a challenge to researchers and art historians from different parts of the world.
Source: www.myporec.com, www.timeout.com
