Monastery and Church of St. Francis

The Franciscan monastery of St. Francis dates from the 13th century and occupies a quiet spot near the old town, easy to miss between the louder monuments. The church has a simple single-nave Gothic interior with some good carved detail in the sacristy, which also holds a small but excellent collection of Roman glass, jewellery, and coins.

The cloister is the best part — a peaceful garden court surrounded by Romanesque-Gothic arcades, well preserved and rarely busy. The monastery is still active, and the cloister is accessible during church visiting hours. A good place to step off the tourist circuit for twenty minutes.

things to do sight
A story
The church treasury holds a small Roman glass bowl from the 1st or 2nd century AD, used as a reliquary and kept here since medieval times. It is one of the finest pieces of ancient glasswork in Croatia and almost never photographed, tucked behind the altar in the sacristy.

Other places in Things to Do