Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)
On Gingerguide's self-guided Dubrovnik audio tour, Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan) is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Dubrovnik Dubrovnik guide
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About Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)
Step off the Stradun into a serene 14th-century cloister, then meet the Little Brothers' pharmacy, dispensing remedies on this very spot since 1317, among Europe's oldest.
The Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor, known locally as the Little Brothers (Mala braca), stands on the north side of the Stradun just inside the Pile Gate. The complex includes a church, a celebrated cloister, a library and a museum. The Late-Romanesque and Gothic cloister, dating from around 1360, is attributed to the master mason Mihoje Brajkov of Bar; its paired columns carry capitals each carved with a different motif of human heads, animals and plants.
The friary houses the Old Pharmacy of the Little Brothers, whose records trace it to 1317, making it one of the oldest continuously operating pharmacies in Europe. The library holds manuscripts, incunabula and early printed books, and the museum displays antique pharmacy jars, equipment and reliquaries. The Gothic south portal facing the Stradun is crowned by a Pieta of 1498 by the Petrovic brothers, which survived the 1667 earthquake.
Did you know? A pharmacy has operated inside this friary since 1317, making it one of the oldest still working in Europe, though the popular boast that it is the very oldest is disputed.
How much time do you need at Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)?
Around ~30 min works well for Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan) — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)?
Yes — Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan) made the cut as one of 18 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Dubrovnik. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
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Hear the story of Franciscan Monastery (Franjevacki samostan)
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