Church & monasteryDalmatia

St Blaise's Church in Dubrovnik: the patron saint's Baroque home

St Blaise's Church (Crkva sv. Vlaha) is a Baroque church in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, on Luža Square in front of the Council hall. It is dedicated to Saint Blaise, patron of the city and protector of the independent Republic of Ragusa. The present building dates from 1715 and was designed by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli; it is one of the city's major sights.

On the altar, a gilded silver statue shows Saint Blaise holding a small scale model. The statue was the only one to survive the fire of 1706 that destroyed the medieval church around it.

WhereLuža Square in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, in front of the Council hall

TypeBaroque Catholic church of 1715, built on the site of a Romanesque church

Best forBaroque architecture, the story of Dubrovnik's patron saint, Old Town sightseeing

Getting thereIn the pedestrian Old Town of Dubrovnik; reached on foot, via the Luža Square area

The history of St Blaise's Church

Saint Blaise, known locally as Vlaho, is the patron saint of Dubrovnik and was the protector of the independent Republic of Ragusa. In the fourteenth century the Great Council decided to build a Romanesque church in his honour, on the main square in front of the Council hall. According to the English Wikipedia, the decision came a month after the Black Death arrived in the city. Because the plague had killed many heirs and executors, the Council used properties that had reverted to the state to pay for the work. The wish to be independent of Venetian rule can still be read in the decision, and the Archbishop of Dubrovnik, Ilija Saraka, is said to have laid the foundation stone.

The church was completed in three years and soon became the second most important church in Dubrovnik after the cathedral. In 1558 an organ by the maker Colombio was installed. The medieval building survived the great earthquake of 1667 fairly well, but it burned down in a fire in 1706.

The present church was built between 1706 and 1715 to designs by the Venetian architect and sculptor Marino Gropelli (1662–1728), on the foundations of its predecessor. He took as his model the Venetian church of San Maurizio by Sansovino. It has a single square nave with the ground plan of an inscribed Greek cross, an apse flanked by two sacristies and an oblong cupola over the centre.

A flight of stairs leads up to the portal, which is decorated with statues of angels. Four Corinthian columns divide the façade, which is crowned by a semicircular gable and a balustrade with three statues by Gropelli: Saint Blaise standing in the middle, flanked by personifications of Faith and Hope. Inside, the barrel-vaulted nave is richly decorated in Baroque style. On the main altar of white and polychrome marble, a Gothic statue of the saint in gilded silver from the fifteenth century stands in a high niche, the work of an unknown local master.

The church was damaged in the earthquake of 1979 and again in the war of 1991–1992, most severely on its roof and north façade. Every year on 3 February it plays an important part in the Feast of Saint Blaise.

Curiosities about St Blaise's Church

The gilded silver statue of Saint Blaise on the main altar is a fifteenth-century Gothic work, and it was the only one to survive the fire of 1706. In his left hand the saint holds a small scale model of what stood there before the earthquake of 1667.
The French Wikipedia notes that the Slavs of the Middle Ages identified Saint Blaise with the pagan god Veles.
The façade has three statues by Gropelli on its balustrade: Saint Blaise in the middle and personifications of Faith and Hope.
The church holds the relics of Saint Silvan.
The organ was built by the German firm Gebrüder Rieger in 1906 (opus 1242). It has a gilded Venetian-style case from 1720 and was pneumatic until 2001; Wikipedia says its restoration was planned to begin in 2026.
Every 3 February the church has a role in the celebration of the Feast of Saint Blaise.

Tours near St Blaise's Church

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Full-Day Private Boat Tour of Elafiti Island from Dubrovnik

★ 5 (209 reviews) · 8 h

See details ›

Private Boat Tour to the Elafiti Islands with Atlantic Marine

★ 5 (200 reviews) · 4 h

See details ›

Dubrovnik Private Full Day Island Hopping Tour Elaphiti Islands

★ 5 (184 reviews) · 8 h

See details ›

Private Speedboat Tour: Caves Beaches Islands and more

★ 5 (158 reviews) · 2 h

See details ›

Visiting St Blaise's Church

The church stands on Luža Square in the Old Town, in front of the Council hall. Take time for the façade, with its flight of steps, angel statues, four Corinthian columns and the statue of Saint Blaise on top.
Inside, look for the main altar in white and polychrome marble and the gilded silver Gothic statue of the saint in its high niche.
Orlando's Column, shown in one of the photographs of this page, stands close by on the same square.
The 1906 Rieger organ is a notable feature, though the sources say its restoration was due to begin in 2026, so ask locally what is possible.
Check the current opening hours before you go; the feast on 3 February is the best-known occasion of the year.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where St Blaise's Church is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of St Blaise's Church

Questions

Where is St Blaise's Church in Dubrovnik?

It stands on Luža Square in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, in front of the Council hall.

Who was Saint Blaise in Dubrovnik?

Saint Blaise (Vlaho) is the patron saint of Dubrovnik and was the protector of the independent Republic of Ragusa.

When was St Blaise's Church built?

The present Baroque church was built between 1706 and 1715 by Marino Gropelli, on the site of a medieval Romanesque church that had burned down.

What is the most precious object in St Blaise's Church?

It is the gilded silver Gothic statue of Saint Blaise on the main altar, made in the fifteenth century, which was the only one to survive the fire of 1706.

What happens at St Blaise's Church on 3 February?

That is the Feast of Saint Blaise, the patron saint of the city, in which the church has an important role.

Was a film shot at St Blaise's Church?

Wikidata lists the 2006 film Libertas as shot in this part of Dubrovnik, with the Stradun given as the location.