Dominican Monastery

The Dominican Monastery stands at Svetog Dominika 4 in the northeastern corner of the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia, just inside Ploce Gate and reached by a broad flight of stairs from the street. Construction began in the 14th century and continued into the 15th, giving a mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements. The complex has a church, a museum and a cloister built by the Dubrovnik master Maso di Bartolomeo and Florentine architect Michelozzo's associates; the arcaded cloister with its garden of palms and orange trees is a calm space and one of the best-preserved in Croatia. The museum holds a major collection of Dubrovnik school painting, including works by Nikola Bozidarevic and Lovro Dobricevic, and a Titian painting of St Mary Magdalene with Tobias and the Angel. It also displays goldsmith work, manuscripts, incunabula and a library of old books. The church interior is large and austere in the Gothic style and includes a large Crucifixion by Paolo Veneziano. Visitors typically spend around 45 minutes, entering through the cloister and museum for about EUR 5. Opening hours run roughly 09:00 to 18:00 from May to October and 09:00 to 17:00 from November to April. The best time to visit is in the morning when the cloister is quiet and the light enters the arcade at a low angle, whereas midday in summer brings groups from the Old Port side. The monastery is very close to Fort Revelin and Ploce Gate, and a short walk from Lazareti and Banje Beach, so it fits well into an east-side itinerary. Visitors should cover shoulders and knees as the church remains active, and photography rules inside the museum vary, so they should check signs. The stairs at the entrance are a popular spot for photographs of the church portal and the quiet side street.