The popular tourist city of Pula keeps so many outstanding architectural monuments on its colorful streets that it can easily rival even the most famous world capitals and megacities. It boasts an ancient triumphal arch, the ruins of a Roman amphitheater, and a powerful medieval fortress, not to mention the ancient churches and cathedrals including the monumental temple complex of the monastic Order of St. Francis of Assisi.

The majestic Church of St. Francis and the monastery of the same name stand at the foot of the city hill next to another popular tourist attraction—the ancient Roman Forum, the main city square. The Franciscans built their monastery in 1314 on the site of another shrine dedicated to St. John the Baptist. With the help of Pope Innocent III, the monks rebuilt the former church, gave it a Gothic appearance, and dedicated it to the patron saint of their order, St. Francis of Assisi. The Monastery of St. Francis was annexed to the medieval shrine much later, in the early 18th century. However, fortune didn’t favor it. During the French rule, the monastery was closed. Under the Austrians, it housed a food store, then—a kindergarten, and several exhibition halls. Only at the end of the 20th century, the monastery had been returned to the monks, who carried out a thorough restoration. So today the monastery functions as it did many centuries ago when the brothers of the monastic order had just raised its strong walls. Both monuments of sacred architecture are made in the Gothic style, but the exterior of the monastery also includes some modest elements of the Renaissance. At first glance, the interior seems gray and dull, only the main wooden altar, covered with gilding, impresses with its beauty. Contrary to stereotypes, it is the absence of decorative elements that enhance the interior’s grandeur and austerity inherent in the monastic order.