Rakotule, Church of St. Nicholas

The cemetery church of St. Nicholas is located on the northern edge of the settlement of Rakotule. This single-nave Romanesque chapel with a prominent semi-circular apse was extended westward in later periods. The Gothic stone coat of arms of the Barbo family on the facade indicates their connection with the construction or expansion of the church. This noble lineage from Motovun held patronage rights over the Church of St. Nicholas for centuries, linking them to the commissioning of the frescoes from the mid-14^th century.

In the apse conch, the lower part of the depiction of Christ in Majesty is preserved, with four figures of saints below it. Only two figures are fully visible, among which St. Nicholas is identified on the left, while one of Christ’s apostles is depicted on the right. On the lateral walls, there are four scenes from the life of St. Nicholas, with a painted velarium beneath them. The spatial organization of the scenes and the way the figures are rendered indicate a strong influence of the Venetian trecento on the work of this as-yet-unknown master.

The frescoes were discovered in 1925 by the priest Luka Kirac, and they were first mentioned in scholarly literature by Aleksandar Perc in 1955, in the article „Srednjovjekovno zidno slikarstvo Istre“.

Iconographic program:

Eastern wall: 1 Christ in Majesty, 2–3 Four Saints. Southern wall: 4 The Birth of Saint Nicholas, 5 Saint Nicholas Giving Alms to a Poor Woman. Northern wall: 6 St. Nicolas Felling a Tree Inhabited by Demons, 7 St. Nicholas Delivering the Dowry to the Three Poor Maidens.