The fortified Church of St Mary (Crkva sv. Marije Milosrdnice) is the most striking building in Vrboska — a 16th-century structure that looks more like a small fortress than a place of worship. The thick defensive walls, corner towers, and machiolations were added after Ottoman raids forced the congregation to think about survival as well as salvation.
The interior is modest but worth seeing for the altarpiece attributed to Paolo Veronese, a small Tintoretto, and a relief of the Deposition. The combination of defensive architecture and Venetian painting is distinctly Dalmatian — the same patron networks that commissioned the fortifications also paid for the art. The church is usually open in the mornings; entrance is free or by small donation.