Franciscan Friary and Church

By the mid-14th century the Republic of Ragusa was enjoying unstoppable prosperity, so people began to move inside the city walls, including the Franciscan monks of Dubrovnik. Construction of the friary began in 1317 on the city's main street, Stradun, just opposite Onofrio's Large Fountain.

The most beautiful part of the friary is the Gothic-style inner courtyard, with 120 columns and capitals decorated with plant and animal motifs. In the centre of the courtyard is a stone well featuring a statue of St. Francis.

Adjacent to the monastery is a single-nave Baroque church. Both the church and the friary were destroyed during the 1667 earthquake, the worst in Dubrovnik's history.

The Pharmacy

With the construction of the monastery, the Franciscan monks established an apothecary's shop with medicines and prescriptions for ailments that soon became very famous among the people of Dubrovnik. The monastery's pharmacy has been in operation since the 14th century, making it the third-oldest pharmacy in the world.

Today, you can still see the original furniture and tools used by the monks to prepare the recipes. What's more, next to the pharmacy is the library of the Franciscan friary, which houses thousands of historical volumes, medical books and church choir books.

Fun Facts

• If you see a lot of people jumping around the gate of the Franciscan friary, they're not crazy. It's said that whoever manages to climb onto the stone protruding from the façade, take off their T-shirt and put it back on without falling off can make a wish.
• According to legend, among the thousands of volumes in the monastery's library is a manuscript containing the recipe for the elixir of eternal youth.
• In the Franciscan Church, the most famous Croatian Poet, Ivan Gundulić, is buried.