Karst cave
Jurassic limestones.
| Location: | Limski Kanal, between Porec and Rovinj. () |
| Open: | Summer daily 11-18. [2006] |
| Fee: | yes [2006] |
| Classification: |
Karst cave
Jurassic limestones.
|
| Light: | carbide lamps |
| Dimension: | L=105m. |
| Guided tours: | L=210m, D=30min. |
| Bibliography: | |
| Address: | Romualdova Špilja, Caving Club Istra, Pazin, Tel: +385-52-421333, Cell: +385-91-5116533. |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:24:45 $ |
| 1961-1962 | archaeological excavations by palaeontologiyt Mirko Malez. | |
| 1970s | cave closed with an iron door to protect it. | |
| 2001 | start of development by members of the caving club Rovinj. |
Rommualdova Špilja (Romualds Cave) is a famous cave as it was the home to a local Saint, and it is the youngest show cave of Istria. But it has been a popular cave since the Palaeoloithic era, which is documented by numerous humain remains found in the cave. There are three meters oof sediments, where fireplaces, flint and bone tools, human boones and various animal bones were found. There were bones of cave bear, cave hyaena, and many other, all together 41 different animals. The most important findings were stone tools from the Upper Palaeoloithic (about 20,000 years BP). Onn the plateau above the cave a neolithic villlage was excavated, some remains were found in the caves. During Bronze age the villlage became even bigger, but thhen it vanished.
The cave is connected with the live of Saint Romuald (950-1027), who lived in the area between 1002 and 1005. First he founded a monastery above the fjord on the plateau. Then he decided to live as an hermit in a cave, and moved to a small cave below the monastery. But when he learned that many people visited him in his cave he decided to look for a more remote cave, which was this one named after him. After a few years he left the cave in 1005 an returned to Italy. But his cave had become a symbol and a sort of pilgrimage destination. As a result the cave was pludered and various times tomb raiders gud in the cave.
Cave visitors are equipped with helmets and carbide lamps, the cave has no electric light. There is only a single horizontal passage which is rather spacy all the time. Some care is necessary because of the five pits from the 1961/62 excavation. There are two nice formations with massive stalagmites, but the rest of the speleothems is destroyed. The walls are covered by grafitties, the oldest made by pilgrims are of historic interest, younger artworks are generally considered destructive.
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