The parish church in Brtonigla was named after St. Zeno, an early Christian bishop from Verona, who is also a patron saint of this Istrian town. St Zeno was built between 1859 and 1861 at the location of the similar older church which some sources date back to 1480. Although there were some indications back in the 16th century that the old church might have been expanded, that did not happen until the second half of the 19th century, when the building received its present shape. In the second half of 20th century, a statue of St. Zeno reading the missal was added above the front portal. The statue is a masterpiece of the academic sculptor Aleksandar Rukavina, a great aficionado of this area.