Romualdo's cave

NOTICE - Due to protective measures Romualdo's cave is closed for visiting. When circumstances change, cave will be reopened, about which we will inform you. Thank you for understanding.

The visits to Romualdo`s cave in the important landscape of Lim bay are limited due to avoid disruption of a large maternity colony of bats (Myotis myotis), an endangered and by law protected species. The visit is possible only with expert guidance from May to October, in small groups of up to 10 persons. From June 15th to September 15th there are regularly organized expert guided visits, every hour from 10 am – 5 pm. During the visiting season, when the cave is daily opened for visitors, it is recommended to early announce a larger group visit. Visits in May and October should also be previuosly announced.

The formation of Romualdo's cave began in the Lower Pleistocene and ended in the Middle Pleistocene, because already in the Upper Pleistocene (20.000 years ago), in an almost formed cave, various sediments were deposited, and some of them have very important paleontological and paleoanthropological findings. Remains of a cave bear, cave lion, leopard, wolf, fox, brown bear, cave hyena, snow rabbit, beaver, large voles, wild horses, deer, ibex and several bird bones (41 species) were found in the Romualdo's cave. Besides the remains of extincted iceage animals, in the cave sediments were found evidences that the prehistoric man used to visit this cave - Paleolithic hunter. Several flint, stone and bone artifacts used by the paleolithic hunter were excavated: awls, blades, scrapers, drills, etc. .. A particularly important finding are the molar teeth of a younger member of Homo sapiens fossilis. It is the oldest finding of the prehistoric man ever discovered in Istria. On the ceiling of the great hall in the middle of the cave, in late spring and summer, there's a large colony of bats (Myotis myotis). A cave beetle, the Romualdo's underground scarab, an endemic subspecies of insect that occurs in the caves of Istria and Kvarner, is also present in the cave. The cave was named after St. Romualdo, which spent several years in this cave, about the year 1000, living a hermitic life. With his operation in Istria binds the founding of the monastery, the Benedictine abbey of St. Michael Archangel on Lim (around AD 1040. year). Since 1595, every year on February 7th the memory of St. Romualdo is celebrated. Throughout the Middle Ages, accross the centuries, many faithfuls from the near area gathered on this day for the holy mass in the Sv.Martin church. After mass, the priest led the people within the procession, descending to the entrance of the Romualdo's cave. Today we celebrate on June 19th, the day he passed away.