St. Martin church is a splendid building with an exceptionally beautiful Flamboyant Gothic chancel. It also contains a major work by Renaissance sculptor Ligier Richier, his Pietà. The church has been a historic monument since 1846 and it contains numerous works of art that have also been listed as historic monuments in their own right. The church was built in the 12th-13th centuries and it has been enlarged later.
Herceg Novi was founded (on a former small fishing village, existing since Roman Empire times) as a fortress in 1382 by first Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. However, there was a short pause between 1538 and 1539 when it was held by the Spaniards before they were defeated in the Siege of Castelnuovo. Turkey ruled again until 1687, from then until 1797, the town was ruled by the Venetian Republic.
The Herceg Novi old town is amazing. It is on a fairly steep hill that leads all the way down to the sea. Wandering through the small stairways to the various plazas and fortresses is a many hour adventure.