The treasury
The head of Saint Blaise in a jewelled Byzantine crown.
Zitumassin — Public domain · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 4.0
A domed Baroque cathedral in the heart of the old town, with layers of history beneath it: twentieth-century excavation under its floor found the remains of **two earlier cathedrals**, one of them Byzantine from around the seventh century — meaning there has been a church on this spot for fourteen hundred years. Dubrovnik's cherished story holds that the English king **Richard the Lionheart** survived a storm near the island of Lokrum on his way back from crusade and gave money to build a cathedral in the city in fulfilment of a vow. Historians are cautious about the details, but the story is part of the city's identity. The **1667 earthquake** destroyed the medieval cathedral entirely, and the present building went up after it in the Roman Baroque manner. Its most precious holding is the **treasury of relics**: an exceptional collection of gold and silver, above all the **head of Saint Blaise** — Dubrovnik's patron — in a jewelled Byzantine crown, with his hands and leg in golden vessels, alongside hundreds of pieces across the centuries. The cathedral also holds an altarpiece attributed to **Titian**.
The head of Saint Blaise in a jewelled Byzantine crown.
A vow after surviving a storm off Lokrum.
An altarpiece attributed to the Venetian painter.
Poljana Marina Držića 1, 20000 Dubrovnik
The Rector's PalaceThe Rector's Palace is the Ragusan state as a building: seat of the elected Rect1 minute walk4.4
Church of St BlaiseIt stands at the eastern end of the **Stradun** on the Luža square, facing the S1 minute walk4.8
Bokar FortressA sea fortress at the western end of Dubrovnik's walls, standing on a rock proje1 minute walk4.7
The Small Onofrio's FountainA small stone fountain at the eastern end of Dubrovnik's Stradun, from 1438, by 1 minute walk4.7
Sponza PalaceThe building that survived. When the **1667 earthquake** destroyed medieval Dubr2 minutes walk4.4Yes — it is in fact the reason to come. The cathedral itself is an elegant Baroque church but not exceptional by European standards. The treasury, however, is a collection of **gold and silver across centuries** assembled by the Republic of Ragusa, its centrepiece the **head of Saint Blaise** in a jewelled Byzantine crown — the city's patron, whom you see carved on every gate and tower in Dubrovnik. The charge is small, the room is small, and the whole visit takes half an hour.
**Saint Blaise** has been Dubrovnik's patron since the tenth century, and the story holds that he appeared to a local priest to warn of an imminent Venetian attack, saving the city. Since then he has been the Republic's emblem: you find his statue on **almost every gate and tower** of the walls, and on old flags and coins, holding a small model of the city in his hand. Every **3 February** the **Festa svetog Vlaha** is held — the city's greatest feast, with processions and banners, inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage.