Beram
Mural bedecked chapel
A short walk or car ride outside Pazin, the village of Beram harbours one of Istria’s greatest artistic treasures, the fresco-filled cemetery chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks (Sveta Marija na Škrilinah).
The tiny church is filled from floor to ceiling with vibrant murals, executed in the 1470s by local painter known as Vincent of Kastav. Depicting bible scenes, saints, and vivid evocations of Christian teachings, the murals resemble a vast medieval comic strip covering life, the universe and everything.
Among the most famous of the mural panels are a colourful, joyous Entry of Christ into Jerusalem; and a deliciously dark Dance of Death, in which representatives of all social classes from kings to paupers are led a merry dance by a group of trumpet-blowing skeletons.
The church does not have definite opening times. Ask at Pazin tourist office or ring the key holder Sonja Šestan 385 91 580 6083.