The Franciscan Monastery

The Franciscan monastery

The Dubrovnik audio-guided tour takes you to the Franciscan monastery, a haven of peace away from the bustle of the Stradun, rich in a cloister and an old pharmacy.

A monastery in the heart of the city

At the start of the fourteenth century, the prosperity of the Republic of Ragusa attracted merchants, inhabitants and Franciscan monks, who launched the construction of this monastery in 1317, in the main street and sheltered by the ramparts. Damaged over time and by the 1667 earthquake, it has lost part of its original appearance; the pediment of its south portal, adorned with a Pietà, is its main vestige. If the Baroque exterior already shines, it is the interior that charms the most: a courtyard with one hundred and twenty columns and capitals decorated with plant motifs, a monastic museum and the old pharmacy of 1317, considered one of the oldest in Europe.

What there is to see

The Franciscan monastery invites contemplation in its cloister with one hundred and twenty finely carved columns, far from the bustle of the street. Its museum and its old pharmacy, one of the oldest in Europe, tell the history of the city. It is a peaceful and historic interlude, to be discovered in the heart of the old town.

Practical information

The Franciscan monastery is along the Stradun, in the old town of Dubrovnik. The cloister, the museum and the old pharmacy can be visited within the framework of a paying admission, according to hours to be checked on site; the visit is made with respect for the place.

When was the Franciscan monastery founded?

In 1317, inside the ramparts, during the period of prosperity of the Republic of Ragusa.

What is remarkable about the old pharmacy?

Dating from 1317, it is considered one of the oldest known pharmacies in Europe.