The town's origins date back to antiquity, when the area was inhabited by the Histri people and later included in the territories administered by Rome. The first written mention of Gračišće appears in 1102, when it was already a significant fortified center. In the Middle Ages, the village passed through various lords: from the Patriarchate of Aquileia to the Counts of Gorizia, until it became part of the Habsburg dominions.
The 16th century marked a decisive change: with the wars between Venice and Austria, Gračišće came under the Republic of Venice (1508), which maintained a captain and consolidated its administrative and cultural role. Much of the architecture that characterizes the historic center today dates back to this period: Gothic and Renaissance palaces, the Venetian loggia, and Romanesque and Baroque churches.
After the fall of Venice (1797), the village followed the fate of Istria: Austrian rule, a Napoleonic interlude, and a return to the Habsburg Empire until the First World War. With the Treaty of Rapallo (1920), it became part of the Kingdom of Italy, taking the official name of Gallignana. After the Second World War, it passed to Yugoslavia and finally, since 1991, it has belonged to independent Croatia.