Dubrovnik Festival of St. Blaise

Ever since the year 972AD , when people began to celebrate it, the feast day of St Blaise, Dubrovnik patron saint, has been a quite special festival, typical of Dubrovnik. Apart from the opening ceremony on Candlemass Day a festive procession in Stradun is organised with a large number of congregation members taking part. A series of church and secular concerts, exhibitions, book presentations and theatre guest performances are dedicated to the patron saint of Dubrovnik, whose statues look at us from the city walls and gates and whose caring hand guards Dubrovnik on his palm.


The feast day of St Blaise, Dubrovnik patron saint – portrayed as an old man holding a model of the City in his hand, the statues of whom can be seen on the city walls and gates – has been a special day for the City of Dubrovnik ever since the year 972, when people began to celebrate it. The celebration is quite special and characteristic of Dubrovnik. It begins on Candlemass Day (2 February) with the release of white doves, the symbols of freedom and peace, in front of St Blaise's Church and with the raising of St Blaise's flag on Orlando's Column. On St Blaise's Day (3 February) the relics of St Blaise are carried in Stradun and the streets of Dubrovnik in a huge procession of banners and people of faith from the Dubrovnik surroundings. The most valuable among the relics of the Dubrovnik Cathedral, Jesus’ loincloth, is carried under a canopy.
In front of St Blaise's Church the banners are unfurled in a special way. They bow paying respect to the saint who has watched over Dubrovnik for many centuries. This is the opportunity for the banner carriers to show this special skill, as well as their exquisite and rich folk costumes which attract attention with their genuineness and beauty. The priests perform the throat blessing ceremony for the congregation members who visit the church the whole day long. The ceremony, which comprises the blessing in front of the interweaved candles, is believed to protect from throat diseases. At sunset the stained-glass windows and laurel decorations in the church of the Dubrovnik patron saint radiate with a special glow. With the blessing of St Blaise they bid farewell to the faithful residents and guests of Dubrovnik until next year.
The Festival of St Blaise is also the City of Dubrovnik Day. Apart from the spiritual segment of the festival, these days abound with various events. At the festive meeting of the City Council, taking place at the baroque Marin Držić Theatre, the prizes of the City are awarded. During the festival Dubrovnik is visited by the diplomatic corps and numerous prestigious businessmen and politicians from Croatia and Europe. For all of them, as a part of the Dubrovnik tradition, the Candlemass Dinner is organised at Fort Revelin, where the Dubrovnik delicacies – including the sporchi macaroni and doughnuts - will be served. In the time of the festival a series of church and secular concerts, exhibitions, book presentations and theatre guest performances are dedicated to the patron saint of Dubrovnik, whose statues look at us from the city walls and gates and whose caring hand guards Dubrovnik on his palm.

(This article comes courtasy of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board)

City of Ston & its Walls

Ston (pronounced; Italian: Stagno) is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality. The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls, originally more than 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, that surrounded and protected the city of Ston, in Dalmatia, part of the Republic of Ragusa, in what is now southern Croatia.
The Walls of Ston were known as the "European wall of China".

Despite being well protected by massive city walls, the Republic of Ragusa used Pelješac to build another line of defence. At its narrowest point, just before it joins the mainland, a wall was built from Ston to Mali Ston. Throughout the era of the Republic, the walls were maintained and renovated once they meant to protect the precious salt pans that contributed to Dubrovnik's wealth, which are still being worked today.
Demolition work began on the walls following the fall of the Republic. Later the Austrian authorities took materials away from the wall to build schools and community buildings, and also for a triumphal arch on the occasion of the visit by the Austrian Emperor in 1884. The wall around Mali Ston was demolished with the excuse that it was damaging the health of the people. The demolition was halted after World War II.

The wall, today 5.5 kilometre long wall links Ston to Mali Ston, and is in the shape of an irregular pentangle. It was completed in the 15th century, along with its 40 towers (20 of which have survived) and 5 fortresses. Within, three streets were laid from north to south and three others from east to west. Thus, fifteen equal blocks were formed with 10 houses in each. Residential buildings around the edges. The Gothic Republic Chancellery and the Bishop's Palace are outstanding among the public buildings.

The main streets are 6 m wide (except the southern street which is 8 m wide) and the side streets are two m wide. The town was entered by two city gates: the Field Gate (Poljska vrata) has a Latin inscription and dates from 1506. The centres of the system are the fortress Veliki kaštio in Ston, Koruna in Mali Ston and the fortress on Podzvizd hill (224 m). Noted artist who work on the walls project are Michelozzo, Bernardino Gatti of Parma and Giorgio da Sebenico (Juraj Dalmatinac).

The city plan of Dubrovnik was used as a model for Ston, but since Ston was built on prepared terrain, that model was more closely followed than Dubrovnik itself. In terms of infrastructure like water mains and sewers built in 1581, Ston was remarkably unique in Europe.

(This article comes courtasy of Wikipedia.com).

Dubrovnik Region

The first glimpse of the medieval city of Dubrovnik, surrounded on three sides by the sparkling waters of the adriatic with limestone crags at its back, remains one of Croatia's indelible impressions.

To walk within its car free walls, untouched by modernity is to experience true time travel and to discover a host of delights - culinary, cultural and all indelibly memorable.
Its magnificent city walls host an annual Arts Festval where Dame Judi Dench, the Vienna Boys Choir and Montserrat Caballe have all performed in recent years. Strolling down the main pedestrian street Stradun in the evening, impromptu opera recitals and live bands add to the vibrant culture life of the city. Its galleries, museums, churches and concert halls are host to an astonishingly rich variety of arts.
Beyond the ancient city, lie the islands of Mljet, Lokrum and the Elafiti Islands. Only a short boat trip away, their dense semi-tropical forests and emerald lakes are ideal for cycling, walking and swimming. The scent of the pine trees framing the lake shores and the summer heat transport the peace seeking sunbather towards sublime relaxation.

(This short article comes from the Catalogue of Hidden Croatia Holidays. Many Thanks for that!)