Summary
The Parish Church of St John the Baptist in Postira is partly built over an Early Christian basilica. The present church took shape from the 16th to the 19th century, and remains of a three-aisled 6th-century basilica and baptistery have been found to its east.
Protected cultural property Z-5124; the south apse was reinforced with loopholes against the Ottoman threat in the late 16th century.
History and purpose
The Parish Church of St John the Baptist developed at the edge of the Zastivanje area and is partly built over an Early Christian basilica. The parish of Postira was established in 1528 and separated from its mother parish of Dol in 1584. The present church developed from the 16th to the 19th century.
Structure and traces of the past
In 1988, remains of a three-aisled basilica were found beside the present church, including a semicircular apse, a subsellium and a baptistery with a cross-shaped basin; fragments of stone furnishings date to the 6th century. The present building has an elongated single-nave interior, a square sanctuary and a semicircular fortified apse with machicolations on the south side. It was extended in the 19th century and given a monumental façade.
Access and visiting
The church is in Postira and remains an active parish church. Treat the archaeological structures with particular care; check with the parish whether entry is possible.
