Fodor's Expert Review Franciscan Monastery
Built in 1317 in Romanesque-Gothic style, this solid-stone Franciscan monastery on the Stradun has a delightful cloistered garden; a 17th-century library that contains more than 20,000 books; a small museum; and its chief claim to fame, a pharmacy that was founded in 1318, making it one of the oldest in Europe. Much of the original church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667; the striking Pietà, located atop the door on the Stradun and sculpted by local masters Petar and Leonard Andrijic, was one of the only things that survived. In the Treasury, a painting shows what Dubrovnik looked like before the disastrous earthquake. Ivan Gundulić, the Republic's most prominent poet, is buried in the monastery. Watch for locals and tourists jumping up on a small gargoyle's head attached to the outer wall of the monastery along the Stradun. Legend has it that if you can stand on the head facing the wall and take off your shirt without falling down,... READ MORE
Built in 1317 in Romanesque-Gothic style, this solid-stone Franciscan monastery on the Stradun has a delightful cloistered garden; a 17th-century library that contains more than 20,000 books; a small museum; and its chief claim to fame, a pharmacy that was founded in 1318, making it one of the oldest in Europe. Much of the original church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667; the striking Pietà, located atop the door on the Stradun and sculpted by local masters Petar and Leonard Andrijic, was one of the only things that survived. In the Treasury, a painting shows what Dubrovnik looked like before the disastrous earthquake. Ivan Gundulić, the Republic's most prominent poet, is buried in the monastery. Watch for locals and tourists jumping up on a small gargoyle's head attached to the outer wall of the monastery along the Stradun. Legend has it that if you can stand on the head facing the wall and take off your shirt without falling down, you will find love. Give it a shot, but it's harder than it looks.
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