The country estate of the Grisoni family in Dajla

The Grisoni family completely redecorated the facilities of the previous owner of this monumental country estate, the Savini family. During the Middle Ages, it was the site of the Benedictine monastery. At a later date, next to the country estate, the present-day settlement Dajla was developed. The Grisonis renovated the estate radically by building the U-shaped three wing edifice with the central part and two wings. The present-day two-storey building has a Classicistic braid in the centre, while the lateral wings are its symmetrical mirror image. The court chapel was built in 1763. It served as an inspiration for erecting its twin on the opposite wing to achieve symmetry. The priest resided in the twin chapel. The representative Classicistic palace of the Grisoni family was designed by French architect and adventurist Gabriel Le Terrier de Manetot in 1839. He is responsible for its French Neoclassicistic appearance, unique in Istria. The palace was inhabited from the Antiquity, when it was the Roman villa. During the centuries its long and turbulent history, it changed owners and its purpose. Following the Roman phase, the villa was first inhabited by the Greek monks, then the Benedictines who owned it until the late 13th century when it was given as a gift to the Koper Savini family. The Koper Counts Grisoni obtained the house in 1738 as the Savinis were without heirs. In 1835, Franceso Grisoni vowed to the Benedictines after a personal tragedy, and the palace regained its monasterial function. They owned it until 1948, when it was turned into the old people's home and the alms house until 1989. Today, the complex is a dilapidated yet in its basic elements a well preserved architectural complex with a park once again owned by the church.