Kastel - Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Kastel is Crikvenica’s historic and religious core at the mouth of the Dubracina.

The Church of the Assumption stands beside the former Pauline monastery immediately above the mouth of the Dubracina. It is the oldest surviving church in Crikvenica and together with the monastery building forms the core of Kastel. Its position beside the water and an old river crossing makes clear why the lower settlement began to develop around this site.

In 1412 Nikola IV Frankopan founded a monastery beside the older and then neglected church and entrusted both to the Order of St Paul the First Hermit. The donation charter is also the earliest written source to contain the name Crikvenica. From the beginning the church was therefore closely connected both with the Paulines and with the formation of the town’s identity.

The building underwent several changes over the centuries. Later Baroque arrangements complemented its Gothic core, and the interior preserves valuable paintings and statues. Of particular importance is a painting of St Simon, the only surviving object from the former parish church of St Simon and St Jude Thaddeus at Kotor, which was destroyed by fire in the eighteenth century.

The church remains an active place of worship, so access to the interior depends on services and opening arrangements. Even when it is closed, a walk around the exterior is worthwhile: the former monastery is visible from the entrance area, while the Pauline Bridge lies towards the river. Together these elements form one of the most coherent historic views in the town.