Strigova

Strigova sits in the vineyard hills of upper Medimurje against the Slovenian border, and its church of St Jerome, built in the 1740s, is the reason to come: the interior was painted in fresco by Ivan Ranger, the Pauline monk from the Tyrol whose work is spread across the churches of northern Croatia and whose illusionistic architecture and trompe l'oeil on flat walls is the most accomplished baroque painting in this part of the country. The hills around are planted with white varieties and the wine roads through them are the district's other draw, with cellars open along the ridges.

History

The oldest finds in the municipality are Roman: burial mounds, pottery and fragments of roads at Trnovčak. Štrigova is first mentioned in 1271 as Castrum Strigo, a fort held by Arnold of Stridó, who in 1290 captured there Andrew the Venetian, later king of Hungary and Croatia, and sent him to Vienna. In 1334 it was recorded as the parish of St Mary Magdalene, and from the late Middle Ages until the early 20th century it was a market town. In the 15th century Frederick II, Count of Celje, built a wooden chapel of St Jerome here, and in 1447 Pope Nicholas V issued a bull for the church naming Štrigova as St Jerome's birthplace, a claim some scholars dispute (Wikipedia, Štrigova).

What to look for

• Frescoes by Ivan Ranger - the Pauline painter of northern Croatia.
• Illusionistic architecture on flat walls - his trompe l'oeil technique.
• A church of the 1740s - built for the pilgrimage to St Jerome.
• Vineyard ridges around - the Medimurje wine roads.

When to go

May to October, with the harvest in September. Half a day.

Good to know

The church is often locked and opening it means finding the keyholder locally. The village is very small with few services. Cellars along the wine road keep their own hours and some need booking.

Nearby

Cakovec is south-east; the Slovenian border is minutes away.

Key facts