Dubrovnik - St. Saviour

Dubrovnik was founded probably within the 6th century. It grew in medieval times and was known as "Republic of Ragusa" between 1358 to 1808. It was added to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy - and after the Congress of Vienna was part of the Habsburg Empire.

The old town of Dubrovnik, since 1979 on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, is a wonderful city - and a major tourist destination. The center of Dubrovnik is small, so it can get pretty crowded, when two cruise ships have arrived - even in October.

The inscription above the main entrance if St. Saviour tells the tourist, that following an earthquake on 17 May 1520, which killed about 20 people and damaged many buildings, the "Republic of Ragusa" commissioned a church as a sign of gratitude for sparing the city from bigger destruction. The construction started in 1520 and the church was completed in 1528.

When in 1667 Dubrovnik was hit again by an earthquake which killed some 5000 citizens and destroyed much of the city, the small St. Saviour Church withstood the disaster.