Church of St. Mary Magdalene

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is one of the churches of Bale, a small hill town in Istria, Croatia, that Italians know as Valle. While details are modest, it is described as a Baroque church with an oval plan, a shape that makes it different from the long, rectangular naves of most small Istrian parish churches, and it is one of the buildings that gives the old town its character.

An oval plan is a typical Baroque idea. Architects of that period liked curved and elliptical spaces because they drew the eye inward and created a sense of movement, and the form was used in small churches as well as in great ones. In a village setting the result is a compact, intimate interior, where the congregation sits close to the altar under a single rounded ceiling. Details can include a simple altar, plaster mouldings and a few painted pieces, but the main impression is of proportion and light rather than decoration.

The church belongs to a town with a long history. Bale is recorded as Castrum Vallis in the tenth century, and its site was settled long before that, in the period when Istria belonged to the Roman Empire. The medieval fortified village was later shaped by Venetian rule, which gave it the stone houses, arched doors and narrow lanes that remain today. In the twentieth century the town declined, and it has been restored and revived in recent decades, with a growing reputation for food, culture and quiet hospitality.

Visitors should know that Bale has several religious buildings and that listings of them are not always consistent. Besides this church, there are others dedicated to St. Julian, and some are recorded under variant names, so ask locally if you are looking for a specific building. Within a short walk are the Castle of Soardo-Bembo, the old town and the market square, and a path leads out to the olive groves and viewpoints around the town.

Whether the interior is open depends on services and the season, as in most small places of worship. If it is closed, the exterior and the setting among stone houses still repay a short stop. Dress modestly and keep voices low if a service is in progress.

While it is small, the church is one of Croatia’s many quiet rewards for people who like architecture on a small scale, who enjoy the slow rhythm of an Istrian village and who want a quiet interlude. An hour or two is enough to take in the church and its surroundings.