Fodor's Expert Review Franjevački Samostan
Perched 492 feet up the hill above Orebić is this modest 15th-century Franciscan monastery. During the heyday of the Dubrovnik Republic, the Pelješac Peninsula was under Dubrovnik's control, while just across the channel Korčula was ruled by their archrival, Venice. From their privileged vantage point on the hill, the Franciscan monks could spy upon their island neighbors, under strict orders to send a message to Dubrovnik if trouble looked likely. The monastery is also home to the Our Lady of the Angels icon that was said to protect captains on their voyages; when they passed under the monastery on their way home they would sound their sirens in greeting and the monks would ring the church bells in return. Today it's a welcoming retreat, with a lovely cloister and a small museum displaying scale models of the ships that local sea captains sailed across the oceans. You can also walk around the cemetery, where gray marble tombstones shaded by cypress trees mark the final resting places... READ MORE
Perched 492 feet up the hill above Orebić is this modest 15th-century Franciscan monastery. During the heyday of the Dubrovnik Republic, the Pelješac Peninsula was under Dubrovnik's control, while just across the channel Korčula was ruled by their archrival, Venice. From their privileged vantage point on the hill, the Franciscan monks could spy upon their island neighbors, under strict orders to send a message to Dubrovnik if trouble looked likely. The monastery is also home to the Our Lady of the Angels icon that was said to protect captains on their voyages; when they passed under the monastery on their way home they would sound their sirens in greeting and the monks would ring the church bells in return. Today it's a welcoming retreat, with a lovely cloister and a small museum displaying scale models of the ships that local sea captains sailed across the oceans. You can also walk around the cemetery, where gray marble tombstones shaded by cypress trees mark the final resting places of many a local seafarer. It's worth the strenuous 40-minute hike from the center of Orebić (or the easier 5-minute drive) for the spectacular views across the channel to Korčula.
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