In the picturesque village of
Radini, half way from
Brtonigla to the sea, there is a lovely
church of Our Lady of Lourdes.
History and description of the church
Built in the first half of the 20th century, it has a small floor area. It has only several rows of pews, but its interior is dominated by the surprisingly great altar, made just like the well known cave in the French Lourdes where Our Lady supposedly appeared before the young shepherd girl in 1859.
The building of this church at the square in Radini has a similar origin and it is related to the local woman named Marina Pirovich. According to the legend, she had a vision of Our Lady in her sleep in 1922, and she thus wished to build a church from scratch. Although her ideas were not met with enthusiasm, she persevered and realized them after seven years.
There is a written evidence that Giorgio Radin donated land for the small church, that the rocks were drawn from the quarry owned by the Radin family, and that not only the inhabitants, but also the volunteers from Pula, some of them disabled, assisted in construction of the church. The church of Our Lady of Lourdes was consecrated in July 1929, and the 12m belfry was finished in 1936.
Fest of our Lady of Lourdes
Today, it is related to the religious ceremonies in late July, when a mass and a pageant are held to honour Our Lady of Lourdes in Radini, and the small church is also an eternal mark of the great harmony among the inhabitants, for which Radini has been famous until the present times.