The Franciscan Church and Monastery

The Franciscan Church and Monastery

The Franciscan Church and Monastery
4
Historic SitesLibrariesChurches & Cathedrals
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
This 14th-century church and monastery contains a pharmacy museum and a world-renowned collection of ancient manuscripts.
Duration: < 1 hour
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  • Dick Z
    Bangkok, Thailand3,241 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not worth a separate visit
    We just went to the monastery, that holds the oldest pharmacy. It is no more than a courtyard that you can walk around and a hall with the pharmacy objects and vessels. Nice but not for more than an brief visit and not worth paying 6 euros for. It is however included in the Dubrovnik pass, which has these extras for the same pass as when you buy only a ticket for the wall.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 2, 2023
  • nsander219
    Chelmsford, United Kingdom628 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quiet Area
    Access can be gained as part of the Dubrovnik Card and as such worth visiting. Very peaceful within just off the street of mayhem! The cloisters are lovely, the old Pharmacy (no photos) interesting. Generally it will not take you long.
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 4, 2023
  • AnnaN732013
    Stockholm, Sweden284 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful old building
    Beautiful old building, a peaceful oasis in the middle of Dubrovnik. Beautiful garden. The museum is not so much to see though, old pharmacy. And very small. But the building in itself is very nice, and the garden. A special mention to the very nice and humorous guy at the counter.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 27, 2023
  • Clare P
    Sevenoaks, United Kingdom30 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A wonderful part of the Old Town's history
    Very beautiful, calm, and cool. An interesting half hour to enjoy the courtyard and the old apothecary. We were lucky enough to see one of the monks appear at the Church steps (also a stunning and serene spot for a quiet moment of contemplation), feeding the pigeons who sat on his hands and his head - and he was very good-humored about it all!
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 28, 2023
  • John A
    Belfast, United Kingdom1,519 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very interesting place
    Our guide took us into the cloisters in order to get out of the blazing sun for a while and to give our party a potted history of Dubrovnic. Although the city streets were rammed with people the cloisters were an oasis of coolness and calm, and gave us a much needed rest and boost in order to tackle the busy city again. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to see the pharmacy in any detail but if on independent travel this would be somewhere to spend some time.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 27, 2023
  • tinaNtravel
    San Jose, California2,011 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful church and very interesting apothecary
    This is a beautiful church with a beautiful altar with a statue of Jesus (resurrected) between twirled granite columns, and a beautiful chandelier. Of course, it contains other beautiful paintings and statues as well, including of course a statue of St Francis holding baby Jesus. This church is well worth a visit. The old pharmacy is included with the Dubrovnik (wall) Pass and well worth a visit. Follow the sign to the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor. You will reach a beautiful hallway and courtyard. The main attraction is the one room apothecary. While the old room apothecary is preserved, the Franciscan Monastery still serves as a local pharmacy. I read that the Monastery has served as an active pharmacy, uninterrupted since the year 1317, which is quite impressive! Also within the museum are other displays, such as a display of relics from a couple of Saints.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written January 17, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles890 reviews
Excellent
274
Very good
425
Average
152
Poor
24
Terrible
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tinaNtravel
San Jose, CA2,011 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
This is a beautiful church with a beautiful altar with a statue of Jesus (resurrected) between twirled granite columns, and a beautiful chandelier. Of course, it contains other beautiful paintings and statues as well, including of course a statue of St Francis holding baby Jesus. This church is well worth a visit.

The old pharmacy is included with the Dubrovnik (wall) Pass and well worth a visit. Follow the sign to the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor. You will reach a beautiful hallway and courtyard. The main attraction is the one room apothecary. While the old room apothecary is preserved, the Franciscan Monastery still serves as a local pharmacy. I read that the Monastery has served as an active pharmacy, uninterrupted since the year 1317, which is quite impressive! Also within the museum are other displays, such as a display of relics from a couple of Saints.
Written January 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CatharineB
Ottawa, Canada1,117 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
In the middle ages, the monasteries in Dubrovnik flourished. We took advantage of the free entrance that came with our 3-day Dubrovnik City pass and visited at the end of the day to take advantage of getting away from the hordes of tourists (cannot complain as we too were tourists) and relax in the sun-dappled cloister – an oasis in the busy Old Town. We entered through the gap between the small church and monastery.

The Monastery dates back to the 14th century, but it was significantly damaged in the earthquake of 1667 and had to be rebuilt. The church was restored in the Baroque style and became one of the largest and most grandiose Franciscan monasteries.

Although the construction of the Monastery started in 1320, the beautiful south portal of the church was made much later, in 1498, by Ragusan sculptors’ brothers Leonard and Peter Petrović.

The Gothic Portal of Franciscan Monastery’s Church survived the earthquake of 1667. This fantastic portal is a Pieta which shows Virgin Mary holding her dead son Jesus on her knees. There are also sculptures of Saint Jerome and Saint John the Baptist.

Our guide explained that the monastery has two cloisters. The upper was built in the Renaissance style, with arches and semicircular vaults) while the lower cloister was built in the Romanesque-Gothic style with arches and double columns.

This magnificent 14th-century cloister, which was not damaged by the 1667 earthquake, was the creation of local sculptor Mihoje Brajkov. It consists of rows of elegant double-pillared columns encircling the Monastery’s inner courtyard. The capitals were all different, decorated with various plant, human and animal like figures.

I found the Romanesque cloister to be one of the finest features of the Franciscan Monastery and we took numerous pictures. Although we did not attempt to count all the columns, we were told that it had 120 columns and 12 massive pilasters.

I noticed that some of the portals inside the courtyard seemed to be made with a lighter coloured stone. These were the ones that were repaired after being hit during the 1991-1992 siege.

We also dropped by the Franciscan Monastery Museum which is located in the capitular room, next door to the old pharmacy. On display is a collection of a variety of religious art and artefacts that were once owned by the friars. The exhibits included an old library that contains some exceptional and very rare books.

In the far corner of the monastery stands its original medieval pharmacy, one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe.
Part of the Franciscan’s mission was to contribute to the good health of the citizens, so they opened this pharmacy in 1317 and has been in continuous operation ever since.

Mortars, measuring apparatus and beautifully decorated jars were among the exhibits.

Before leaving, we visited the small church which was constructed in Baroque style with a single nave. Surprisingly, it was largely empty.
The main altar with the statue of the resurrected Christ between four twisted marble columns was created by the sculptor Celia from Ancona in 1713.

The five side altars were sculpted by the Venetian Giuseppe Sardi between 1684 and 1696. The decorations on the altar of St. Francis were painted in 1888 by the painter Celestin Medovic. The poet Ivan Gundulić is buried in this church.

With the hustle and bustle of the streets of Dubrovnik, the visit to this monastery was a haven of peace.

Written December 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AppleSauce
London, UK12 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
We came to the museum and asked the gentleman at the ticket office how much the tickets were. He was busy watching something on his phone and ignored us. We asked again, he asked us if we are blind as ticket prices are written on the wall and continued mumbling, and when we were about to pay he refused to sell us tickets and turned us away. Bizarre experience, I have never seen anything like this before.
Written October 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CPaM68
Texas663 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Family
The Old Friars Pharmacy is inside the Franciscan Monastery which is located right by the Pile Gate as you enter the Old Town. One of the commandments of the Franciscan order was to take care of any sick brothers of the order as well as the citizen population of Dubrovnik. The pharmacy also provided a steady income flow to the order. Established in 1317, it is considered to be the oldest pharmacy in Europe and is currently the third oldest functioning pharmacy in the entire world. Since 1938, when the pharmacy museum opened, visitors have enjoyed the wonderful exhibits. You can see original items from the pharmacy, various pharmaceutical tools, medical implements, colorful ceramic pots, an extensive library of precious old books and manuscripts, and a collection of artwork. Remarkably, it is still a functioning Pharmacy and offers some products which are still made according to ancient Franciscan tradition. The skin cream products made from local wild herbs are very popular with tourists. (PaM)
Written September 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John A
Belfast, UK1,519 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Friends
Our guide took us into the cloisters in order to get out of the blazing sun for a while and to give our party a potted history of Dubrovnic.
Although the city streets were rammed with people the cloisters were an oasis of coolness and calm, and gave us a much needed rest and boost in order to tackle the busy city again.
Unfortunately we did not have enough time to see the pharmacy in any detail but if on independent travel this would be somewhere to spend some time.
Written September 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SnowyShasta
Portland, OR2,151 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
We were running out of time during our day in Dubrovnik but wanted to see this Franciscan church. It is free with the Dubrovnik city pass. We only stayed for about 20 minutes, but we were able to look at the pretty cloisters with a lot of greenery, and to see the pharmacy. I'd read about this medieval monastery and wanted to see it - it's set up now as a display with old medical and pharmacy tools and jars, and apparently has been there has been a pharmacy here since the 1300's. I was happy we spared a few minutes to come and look around.
Written September 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jason S
Melbourne, Australia1,693 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Solo
Ok to see at best, if you have Dubrovnik pass them pop in for a quick look, it does have three parts to it church interesting but nothing amazing.

I wouldn’t pay to see, but if you have the pass then ok to see for free, you only need like 20 minutes to see.
Written August 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LSQRD1
Kent, OH807 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
We had some extra time and decided to check out the courtyard and pharmacy museum. The museum itself is very small but the old pharmacy counter is magnificent. Worth a stop if you are interested and have extra time.
Written August 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Clare P
Sevenoaks, UK30 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
Very beautiful, calm, and cool. An interesting half hour to enjoy the courtyard and the old apothecary. We were lucky enough to see one of the monks appear at the Church steps (also a stunning and serene spot for a quiet moment of contemplation), feeding the pigeons who sat on his hands and his head - and he was very good-humored about it all!
Written June 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AnnaN732013
Stockholm, Sweden284 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
Beautiful old building, a peaceful oasis in the middle of Dubrovnik. Beautiful garden. The museum is not so much to see though, old pharmacy. And very small. But the building in itself is very nice, and the garden. A special mention to the very nice and humorous guy at the counter.
Written June 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Franciscan Church and Monastery, Dubrovnik

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