Kostabona is a clustered and densely populated village on the narrow protrusion on the southern edge of the ridge above the Dragonja River. Above the village, whose name is associated with the Antique fort Castrum Bonae, is the Plešivica hamlet and the foothills below the village house the Hrvatini settlement and Kapeli in Škrline.
According to tradition, this place, which later became the site of the parish Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, used to be the site of an antique temple dedicated to Bona Dea, goddess of healing, fertility and maternity. This was supposedly the reason that the parish church was dedicated to saints Cosmas and Damian who were also saints of healing. The writings of the Bishop of Novigrad, Giacomo Fillipo Tommasini, led Prospero Petronio to claim that the name Castrum Bonae relates to the pagan goddess worshiped by the sick and the dying in their ignorance hoping that she would restore their lost health. As there was a sanctuary built in her honour in this place, the village received the name Castrum Bonae, later Costa bona or Koštabona. In 1028, the German Emperor Conrad II the Salian donated Koštabona to the Patriarchs of Aquileia and in 1211 it was enfeoffed to the Verzi family from Koper.
The village was walled in and fortified with a defence tower, as evident from the report by the Koper podesta and captain Francesco Mauro from 1558. In his Corografia Ecclesiastica from 1700, the Bishop of Koper, Paolo Naldini, says that Koštabona was a compact village with over thirty houses and that, with its defence tower, it resembles a hill fort. The defence tower was to protect the area in the event of war, but as reported by Naldini, it already showed the ravages of time. Naldini further said that the building that truly ennobled the village and made it famous was the birth house of the blessed deacon Elias, disciple of St. Hermagoras, apostle, patron of Koper and missionary in India. In the 19th century, the Koštabona cadastral municipality was part of the municipality of Pomjan and part of the Pomjan parish. The parish also provided elementary education. Due to the presence of the Italians and their influence, there was an Italian primary school in the village in 1912 or 1913. There are still three churches in the village.
The first and the largest used to be a pilgrimage church dedicated to Sts. Cosmas and Damian, patrons and martyrs of health, the second to the Blessed Elias and the third was the cemetery church of St. Andrew. There are numerous preserved holidays and customs in the village relating to these churches and their patrons and even today, these customs draw in numerous visitors from near and far.
Photos
![Kostabona - Road from Kostabona to Koper Kostabona - Road from Kostabona to Koper]()
Road from Kostabona to Koper
![Kostabona - Information board - Kostabona Kostabona - Information board - Kostabona]()
Information board - Kostabona
![Kostabona - Kostabona with neighbourhood - Sights Kostabona - Kostabona with neighbourhood - Sights]()
Kostabona with neighbourhood - Sights
![Kostabona - Kostabona sights and Diakon Elio Kostabona - Kostabona sights and Diakon Elio]()
Kostabona sights and Diakon Elio
![Kostabona - Well Kostabona - Well]()
Well
![Kostabona - View of Kostabona neighbourhood Kostabona - View of Kostabona neighbourhood]()
View of Kostabona neighbourhood
![Kostabona - Kostabona with the Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian Kostabona - Kostabona with the Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian]()
Kostabona with the Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian
![Kostabona - The centre of Kostabona Kostabona - The centre of Kostabona]()
The centre of Kostabona
![Kostabona - Kostabona - Bus station Kostabona - Kostabona - Bus station]()
Kostabona - Bus station
![Kostabona - Information board - Trail of water sources Kostabona - Information board - Trail of water sources]()
Information board - Trail of water sources
![Kostabona - Road into Kostabona Kostabona - Road into Kostabona]()
Road into Kostabona
![Kostabona - Main road in Kostabona Kostabona - Main road in Kostabona]()
Main road in Kostabona
![Kostabona - Kostabona Kostabona - Kostabona]()
Kostabona
![Kostabona - Old Istrian houses Kostabona - Old Istrian houses]()
Old Istrian houses
![Kostabona - Rural settlement Kostabona - Rural settlement]()
Rural settlement
![Kostabona - Old house with baladur on Placar Kostabona - Old house with baladur on Placar]()
Old house with baladur on Placar
![Kostabona - View back in the direction of arrival into Kostabona Kostabona - View back in the direction of arrival into Kostabona]()
View back in the direction of arrival into Kostabona
![Kostabona - Municipality Koper - Kostabona Kostabona - Municipality Koper - Kostabona]()
Municipality Koper - Kostabona
Data
Municipality: KOPER (51794 population)
Settlements in the municipality:
Koper (25521 population), Sv. Anton (1971), Dekani (1632), Spodnje Škofije (1432), Hrvatini (1292),
Pobegi (1254), Prade (1233), Zgornje Škofije (989), Bertoki (985), Šmarje (897), Kampel (770), Vanganel (654), Gažon (624), Šalara (620), Bonini (610), Bošamarin (602), Kolomban (596), Škocjan (587), Čežarji (587), Plavje (565), Marezige (544), Manžan (506), Krkavče (323), Babiči (310), Puče (271), Koštabona (250), Gračišče (244), Črni Kal (229), Boršt (207), Tinjan (197), Srgaši (187), Pomjan (182), Osp (181), Jelarji (180), Kubed (179), Triban (173), Rižana (159), Popetre (150), Čentur (147), Premančan (142), Lopar (141), Podgorje (140), Pregara (138), Hrastovlje (134), Cerej (126), Movraž (122), Kortine (122), Grintovec (118), Barizoni (117), Grinjan (117), Rakitovec (114), Gabrovica pri Črnem Kalu (108), Dol pri Hrastovljah (97), Loka (96), Cepki (85), Kastelec (80), Poletiči (79), Črnotiče (79), Predloka (79), Krnica (78), Zazid (78), Montinjan (76), Labor (73), Bezovica (68), Brezovica pri Gradinu (66), Truške (66), Lukini (64), Topolovec (63), Gradin (62), Sočerga (60), Glem (59), Kozloviči (53), Trsek (51), Trebeše (51), Podpeč (47), Butari (46), Župančiči (45), Sirči (43), Smokvica (37), Bočaji (31), Dvori (29), Zabavlje (28), Socerb (27), Rožar (25), Praproče (25), Fijeroga (23), Koromači - Boškini (23), Abitanti (22), Dilici (15), Stepani (15), Maršiči (13), Šeki (12), Pisari (12), Galantiči (11), Belvedur (7), Tuljaki (6), Olika (5), Sokoliči (3), Karli (2), Zanigrad (0), Brič (0), Močunigi (0), Brežec pri Podgorju (0), Peraji (0)