Remains of the Castle and Church of St. John, Vrpolje

The remains of the castle of St. John and the church of St. John are located on the hill above Vrpolje, in Šibenik-Knin County, on the summit with elevation 175. They are interesting to visitors because both buildings lie within a prehistoric hillfort, with a view of the surroundings.

The hillfort has kept its rampart in the form of a stone embankment. The castle was demolished several times during the Venetian-Turkish wars, so the walls are best seen on the steep southern side. Exact measurements cannot be determined without excavation, but the area is about 70x40 meters. It was built to protect Vrpolje from Turkish incursions, probably as early as the 15th century, although written sources first mention it in 1503. The church is in the southwestern corner of the castle plateau: a single-nave building with a rectangular apse, irregular orientation, with a semicircular vault in the apse and a wooden ceiling in the nave. No reliable conclusions can be drawn about the dating of the church, but its existence is presumed from the Middle Ages. After the wars it was renovated to its present dimensions.

The castle and church are a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6227.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).