Dominican Monastery Museum

The Dominican Monastery Museum is located within the monastery at Svetog Dominika 4, beside Ploce Gate in the eastern part of Dubrovnik's Old City, Croatia. The Dominican order settled here in the 13th century, and the monastery grew into a centre of religion, learning and art in the Republic of Ragusa. The museum occupies former monastic rooms and the treasury and is known above all for its collection of Dubrovnik school painting from the 15th and 16th centuries. Highlights include the polyptychs and altarpieces of Nikola Bozidarevic, notably a work depicting the Annunciation, and the painting of St Mary Magdalene by Titian, together with works associated with Lovro Dobricevic and other local artists. The museum also shows silver and gold liturgical objects, reliquaries, textiles, manuscripts and early printed books, as well as a collection of 15th-century stone and wooden sculpture. The display is thematic, grouping objects by type and artist, in modest rooms rather than a modern gallery, and the cloister, a 15th-century Gothic-Renaissance work, forms part of the visit. The museum belongs to the monastery community and is separate from the municipal Dubrovnik Museums group. The building has been restored over time, including after the 1667 earthquake and the 1991 shelling, and the collections are in good condition. Visitors typically spend about 45 minutes, and the atmosphere is quiet compared with the busiest city sites.