Also known as: Church of St. Blasius Built: 1706-1714 Designed by: Marino Gropell Renovated: 1992 by Vinko Fabris, Frédéric Mohus, and Jean Garder Type: Holy Place Location: Stradun, Dubrovnik, Croatia
M odest in height, but not in meaning, the Church of Saint Blaise is one of the cornerstones of live in Dubrovnik. The saint is said to have appeared in a vision and saved the city from an invasion by Venice. You’ll find to this day, the city is packed with statues, plaques, grottoes, and other venerations of the saint that saved the city. Though Dubrovnik was saved from the Venetians, the cultural influence of Italy cannot be denied, and is reflected in the construction of this church. That’s because it was modeled after a church in Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Italy. The Blaise church, however, could not be protected from modern warfare. Even though United Nations teams erected wooden casements around the more delicate parts of the façade, it was still damaged by shelling. In the 1990’s, master craftsmen were employed to repair the church using local stone, and in some cases, period tools.
The previous Church of Saint Blaise burned down in 1706.
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