Cultural Heritage

Following the Traces of Heritage Through the Centuries

Benedictine Monastery and Maximilian’s Summer Residence

The Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary on Lokrum is the largest and most important cultural monument on the island. The earliest written source on the arrival of the Benedictines to Lokrum is the founding document from 1023. The Benedictines were expert farmers, and the monastery was surrounded by vineyards, fertile orchards, olive groves, and gardens with ornamental plants. During the 12th century, the monastery experienced a strong rise, and in the second half of that century a new three-nave and three-apse church was erected. From the Romanesque monastery and its cloister, the west wing, which was used for industrial purposes and had a mill on the ground floor, has been preserved to this day, while only the perimeter walls of the east wing (former monk dormitory) have been partially preserved.

After its rise in the 12th and 13th centuries, the monastery experienced a resurgence in the second half of the 15th and 16th centuries. After the Observant Reform (1459-1461), the monks of Lokrum upgraded the monastery and built a new, Renaissance cloister. The Renaissance cloister is an important architectural complex on a scale greater than Dubrovnik’s, or even the national Croatian art history. The east wing of this cloister was designed in accordance with a specific type of monastery architecture, the so-called “manica lunga“ (long sleeve in Italian), which refers to the layout of a monastery wing with a dormitory. In a catastrophic earthquake on April 6, 1667, the church and the medieval building of the monastery collapsed, and all their functions were transferred to the new Renaissance monastery.

In 1798, the Republic of Dubrovnik requested permission from Pope Pius VI to abolish the monastery and sell monastic property, and with the approval of the Holy See the monastery and the entire island were sold to the wealthy upper class of Dubrovnik in 1800. In 1859, Lokrum was bought by the Austrian Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, who came to the island with his wife Charlotte. In addition to the horticultural landscaping of the island, most of Maximilian’s intervention was related to the refurbishment of the Benedictine monastery and the upgrade of the luxury residence at the northern edge of the east wing, which is the most important monument of the so-called Romantic Historicism in Dubrovnik. After the death of Archduke Maximilian in 1867, Lokrum had several owners.

From 1891 until the beginning of the First World War, the island was ruled by the Dominicans of Dubrovnik, who founded a school of the Dominican order in the monastery. After the founding of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the entire island was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health in June 1920 for the purpose of establishing a sanatorium for war orphans. In 1958, the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts founded the Biological Institute on the island and opened the Natural History Museum in the east wing of the monastery. In the earthquake of April 15, 1979, the monastery complex was damaged. The planned reconstruction of the monastery complex was interrupted by the beginning of the Homeland War, during which the entire complex suffered significant damage.

Interesting facts

Philip de Diversis, a learned Tuscan from Lucca, the first modern teacher and reformer of the Dubrovnik School of Humanities (1434-1441), said in his account of Dubrovnik: “The Lokrum monastery was surrounded by excellent vineyards, fertile orchards and beautiful gardens, which attracted many citizens and foreigners.“

Lokrum Lazaretto

By the decision of the Dubrovnik Senate in 1534, the construction of a lazaretto, i.e., a quarantine hospital, began on Lokrum Island. The Great Plague Pandemic, of the so-called Black Death, spread to the city of Dubrovnik in the 14th century, after the first case was recorded on the island of Šipan. The Dubrovnik authorities were not allowed to stop trading by closing the port and severing contacts with the outside world. As the people of Dubrovnik tried to continue trading, a decision was made to keep people, cattle, ships and goods in temporary isolation before they arrived in the City. In 1377, the Grand Council decided to establish quarantine at several sites in the area of Dubrovnik and its surroundings.

The Lokrum lazaretto was never completed, and its remains are still visible today. The double walls in the shape of a square fortress, one hundred meters long and about four meters high, had small rooms inside for people to stay, with a separate fireplace in each. In the central courtyard was a well with drinking water. Above the north entrance door was an inscription: ¨With the money raised from the wills of pious people, erected by Dubrovnik senators in 1557. May Almighty God help make this work not perish.“ The door was walled up at the time of the construction of Fort Royal, and a new one was built in the east wall. Over time, the people of Dubrovnik realized that the lazaretto, if conquered, could serve as a strong stronghold for the enemy, from which the city and port could be endangered. In the meantime, lazarettos were built in Ploče in 1590, and were proved to be the most practical with time. In 1647, the Dubrovnik Senate made the decision to use the stone of the Lokrum lazaretto for the construction of city walls. In the area of the unfinished lazaretto, the Benedictines laid out an olive grove, and a new door was constructed in the east wall, next to which a house was built for the guard who lived in the olive grove.

Two Wooden Houses - Docker Barracks

Two wooden houses were erected southeast of the Benedictine monastery, in the mid-1920s for the needs of the State Recovery Center, for children aged 6-12, with the capacity of accommodating about 140 toddlers. The houses were provided by the Republic of Germany as reparations for war damages after the end of the First World War (1921). Such Austrian (Docker) barracks, although a widespread type of construction in Western and Northern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are atypical of Dalmatia, and represent a valuable architectural phenomenon for the Dubrovnik area. In terms of construction, these are prefabricated wooden houses, while typologically they belong to sanatorium buildings of the early 20th century, as indicated by the architectural element of the porch that encompasses the entire building. The original barracks were removed due to their poor condition caused by the damage that occurred during the Homeland War, and were reconstructed in 2015.

The Cross of “Triton”

THE CROSS OF “TRITON“ above Skalica Bay was erected in memory of the sailors of the Austrian warship “Triton” that was anchored in front of Lokrum, who died on May 9, 1859 due to a powerful explosion in the channel between the mainland and Lokrum. Of the crew, only ten survived. This brought Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg (brother of Emperor Francis Joseph I) to Dubrovnik and Lokrum, in the capacity of the Commander of the Austrian navy, who had a cross erected in memory of the fallen, on which their names were engraved. The Archduke fell in love with Lokrum at first sight and eventually bought the island.

Church of the Annunciation of Mary

North of the monastery complex, at the start of the olive grove and the botanical garden, is located the Church of the Annunciation of Mary (Lady of the Annunciation). The single-nave church with a semi-circular apse, of Gothic-Renaissance features (15th/16th century), is the only preserved sacral building on Lokrum where Holy Mass is still celebrated today. In the church, kneelers of Emperor Maximilian and his wife Charlotte as well as of his heir Rudolf and his wife Stephanie are still kept.

Fort Royal

Having conquered the area of Dubrovnik in 1806, the French noticed the strategic importance of Lokrum, and in the same year began the construction of a fortress on the highest peak of the island of Lokrum – Glavica (96 m above sea level), which controlled access to the city from the sea. In 1815, the French occupation was replaced by the Austrian, and in 1835 Austria expanded and strengthened the French fortress and gave it its final shape. The fortress has a circular layout, with an area of about 350 m², and consists of a bulwark with bastions and the main circular fort, later called “Maximilian’s Tower”.

Forester’s House

The Forester’s House is located in the bay of Portoč, and was constructed in the 19th century during the ownership of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, for the forest ranger at that time. In 2011, it was refurbished into an information, promotional and educational centre for visitors. The house is situated next to the island’s main port and serves as a kind of a reception desk – entrance to the Lokrum Reserve.

Charlotte’s Well

The oval well was built in Maximilian’s time and used to collect water for watering the exotic plants in Maximilian’s gardens. A system of rainwater collection channels was constructed over the entire island, which flowed into Charlotte’s well and two other reservoirs in the northern part of Lokrum. It is assumed that the owners and their guests also bathed in it.

Mill House

The Mill House is located on the ground floor of a building that forms part of the monastery complex. The olive mill on Lokrum has been restored and transformed into an interpretation space that showcases the rich tradition of olive growing and olive oil production in the area. Visitors can see authentic elements such as the koruna, mandravita, moluvija, and separator, and learn more about the function of each part through informative panels.

In addition to the technical presentation of the mill’s operation, the exhibition also covers the historical, customary, symbolic, and gastronomic context of the olive — from its role in daily life and rituals to its importance in Mediterranean cuisine and medicine.

The space also features audiovisual content demonstrating the traditional use of olive mills, bringing the atmosphere to life and helping visitors gain a deeper understanding of the olive oil production process.