DISCOVER DUBROVNIK

Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor

At the beginning of the Placa, to the left of the Pile gate, is the large complex of the Franciscan monastery (Friars Minor). To the north, the monastery follows the line of the city walls as far as Minceta.

The first Franciscan monastery on the Pile plateau
The former Franciscan monastery was located outside the city walls, on the outskirts of Pile. Due to the dangers of war that threatened the Republic at the beginning of the 14ᵉ century the Franciscans had to move into the city, demolish the old monastery and build new ones in the area protected by the city walls.
Construction of the monastery began in 1317 and lasted for years.

Monastery and church in 1667
Parts of the monastic complex were destroyed and demolished several times over the course of the century, particularly during the great earthquake of 1667, when the beautiful church, one of the most beautiful and richest in Dubrovnik at the time, was completely destroyed.

Of the church’s original appearance, only the south doorway has survived, vaulted with a Pieta sculpture of exceptional beauty and artistic value, framed by a Gothic-style archivolt. This monumental portal still bears witness to the former beauty of the church and is also one of the most important late Gothic works in Dubrovnik. It was built by the Petrović brothers, masters of Dubrovnik in 1499. The monastery’s cloister is one of Dubrovnik’s finest architectural achievements. The atmosphere of exceptional harmony in the sumptuous stone decoration, framed by a colonnade of double hexaphores with different and irreplaceable capitals, is the work of local master Mihoj Brajkov from Bar, who created the works in the middle of the 14th century. This cloister is also a sumptuous example of late Romanesque art on our shores.

The upper cloister

The upper cloister, Franciscan Monastery
In addition to this, the monastery has another (upper) Gothic cloister, for the use of the monastery only, inaccessible to the public, which also survived the great earthquake.

The monastery library
The monastery library is one of the most important ancient libraries in Croatia and the world. It preserves Dubrovnik’s rich cultural and historical treasures, including more than 1,200 ancient manuscripts of inestimable cultural and historical value, 137 incunabula, 7 books of ancient church choirs. A total of 20,000 different copies.

The Pharmacy of the Friars Minor

The second oldest pharmacy in the world in Dubrovnik, Franciscan Monastery
The Pharmacy of the Friars Minor in Dubrovnik is an indissociable whole comprising a pharmacy, the art of making preparations and a museum with a cultural space for passing on and preserving the knowledge and practice of pharmacy. The space today where these activities have been carried out for centuries is called the Kod Male braće Pharmacy.

The beginnings and significance
The Pharmacy was founded in 1317 as a monastic pharmacy, intended for members of the Franciscan order and soon began to operate publicly, which it still does today. This was important for the economic stability of the monastery, but its role in the wider community was much greater.

Namely, in addition to the preparations, the Franciscans, in accordance with the mission of their order, gave advice and spiritual support to the needy and undoubtedly played an important charitable and social role in the community. The knowledge and skills of preparation and application have been passed down from generation to generation in written and oral form within the monastic community. Preparation must be done by hand, and particular attention is paid to the choice of high-quality ingredients. Some of the many galenic waters, creams, ointments and so on that are made in the pharmacy are: Aqua rose, Aqua rosmarini, Aqua lavandulae, Aqua aurantii, Antrid cream, Ceratum labiale, Satar, etc. (…), the inextricable link between tangible and intangible heritage, knowledge and practices based on the connection with nature”.

Times and prices
Adults: HRK 40 (€5.40)

Children, students 20 HRK (2,70 €)

9.00 a.m. – 14.00 p.m.