Bernardin - Church of St. Bernardin

The Bernardin Tourist Complex is located between Piran and Portoroz. The complex includes the Grand Bernardin Hotel, Histrion Hotel, Villa Park Hotel, Bernardin Convention Center, Wellness Center, Bernardin Lagoon, Bernardin Casino and Marina Bernardin.

In the middle of the buildings is the church tower of the former Benedictine monastery. The monastery and the church were built in 1452 by Saint John Kapistran (1386-1456), a priest of the Franciscan order who was a peace broker, traveling preacher, regular convert and confessor. His teacher was Saint Bernardin Sienski. Although he was only a deacon, he started preaching fairly quickly, becoming one of the greatest folk speakers of all time. Before his death, Saint John Kapistran strongly advocated that his friend Bernard Sienski be proclaimed a saint. He succeeded in this in 1450, and he dedicated the church to him. Monastery with the church of St. Bernardin was abolished in 1806, as well as other monasteries in Istria, if they had not already been dissolved by the decree of Joseph II. in 1783.

The Austrian army turned the monastery building into a fortress to defend the bay, and later the building was used by the tax and customs administration. The former mighty remains have a viewing platform in the immediate vicinity, offering magnificent views of the Bay of Piran.