Ecclesia S. Mariae de Turre cum capellis suis - identification of an earlier phase of the Church of the Holy Cross at Tar - Stancija Blek (Tar-Vabriga - Torre- Abrega, Istria)

The paper reports the results of the first campaign of excavations at the Church of the Holy Cross near Stancija Blek (Tar-Vabriga - Torre-Abrega munici-pality, Istria), which is close to the multiphase settlement of Old Tar. A trial trench behind the rear wall of the church and along its southern perim-etral wall revealed an earlier building and one grave. Though the uncovered remains are scanty, several distinct architectural designs allow us to propose a first typological determination of the newly discovered structure and shed light on subsequent development at the site.