Crekvina, the Unfinished Church of the Assumption of the BVM, Kastav

Crekvina is the ruin of the unfinished church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the northern, medieval part of the town of Kastav, in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. To visitors it tells of an ambitious project that was sealed by a change in political circumstances.

The church was meant to replace a smaller, dilapidated church of the same dedication, which was completely demolished for the new construction. It was conceived on an imposing scale, for 4000 believers, and construction began in 1769, at a time of commercial and economic flourishing spurred by the declaration of the Rijeka free port. It was launched by the Rijeka Jesuits, then administrators of Kastav. The foundations, the sanctuary part and the western side wall up to the height of the cornice were built, and construction was interrupted in 1773 when the Society of Jesus was abolished.

The remains are a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-1991.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence.