Monumental architectural complex that, by virtue of its harmonious beauty and its long and troubled past, attracts the attention of experts and passers-by. The neoclassical appearance, the only example of its kind in Istria, dates back to 1839, and is due to the French architect Le Terrier de Manetot. In place of a pre-existing building with four towers, an elegant rectangular two-storey villa was built, flanked on the front side by two buildings of almost identical appearance. The architect de Manetot, respecting the previous stylistic period, left intact the baroque church of San Giovanni Battista (consecrated in 1783), located to the east of the main corpus, and erected in front of it a new building (the chaplain's residence), with an architectural appearance identical to that of the church. The mirror reflection strongly accentuates the symmetry of the main building and introduces us, through what was once a well-kept garden, to an imposing portal that separates the architectural complex from the seashore. A small pier testifies that in times past the villa was accessible from the sea.
In the mid-13th century it was abandoned and became the property of the bishops of Novigrad-Cittanova. In 1273, Bishop Nicholas donated the property to the wealthy Sabini family of Capodistria, who had it renovated, which is why the former monastery adopted the name of Dajla Castle (Castrum Dailae). In 1736, since the Sabini family was left without heirs, it passed into the hands of the Grisoni counts of Capodistria. In the first half of the 19th century it was converted into a summer residence. Following a family tragedy, Count Francesco Grisoni in 1835 offered the villa as a vow to the Benedictine friars of Santa Maria di Praglia (Padua), on the condition that they would commit to promoting education in the area. The monastery remained in operation until 1948, the year in which Istria passed to Tito's socialist Yugoslavia. Until 1989, the former monastery served as a retirement home for the elderly and a hospice for the poor. Since then it has been in a state of abandonment. In 2011 it was at the center of a dispute between the Holy See, the local diocese and the Croatian government, with its restitution to the Croatian Catholic Church.