Church of St Blaise

The Church of St Blaise (Crkva sv. Vlaha) stands on Luza Square at the eastern end of Stradun in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia, directly opposite Sponza Palace and beside the Rector's Palace approach. It is dedicated to the city's patron saint, St Blaise (Sveti Vlaho), who is credited in local tradition with warning the Republic of Ragusa of a Venetian attack in the 10th century. The present Baroque church was built between 1706 and 1715 to a design by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli, replacing an earlier Romanesque church that was destroyed in the great fire of 1706 and the earthquake of 1667 before that. Its curved, theatrical facade with a broad staircase leading up from the square is one of the best-known silhouettes in the city and a popular photo location. Inside, the focus is the main altar, where a gilded silver statue of St Blaise, a 15th-century work, holds a model of Dubrovnik as it looked before the 1667 earthquake, a valuable record of the city's earlier appearance. Visitors usually spend 15 to 20 minutes inside. Entry is free, and the church is open daily outside services, so visits should avoid Mass times. Respectful dress is expected, with shoulders and knees covered. The best time to visit is in the morning when the interior is calm and light falls on the altar. Each year on 3 February the Feast of St Blaise is celebrated with a procession in which relics are carried through the streets, a ceremony recognised on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list; the square fills with residents in traditional dress. For photography, the facade is best captured from the Stradun side or from the steps of Sponza Palace opposite. Summer afternoons are busier because the square is a meeting point for walking tours, while early morning and evening are calm. The church sits within easy reach of the Cathedral, the Dominican Monastery and the City Walls.