This is really two pharmacies in one, both situated in the Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik. There is an actual dispensing pharmacy, which has only been in its present location since the beginning of the twentieth century, and a pharmacy museum, which occupies the site of the original working pharmacy. In operation since at least 1681 (but probably much earlier), this makes the site a contender for one of the oldest working pharmacies in the world. The pharmacy museum was established by the friars in 1938 and named ‘The Pharmacy of the Friars Minor’.
Here you see a general view of the pharmacy museum, the shelves being arranged along the back of one wall. Pillars to the front of the counter make photography of the entire pharmacy awkward.
The pharmacy is not really curved, this is just how it comes out in a panoramic photo. The gentleman painted on the left-hand side at the front of the counter is intended to be Hippocrates. The wooden device standing on a block to his left is a press.
A closer look at the left-hand side of the pharmacy. The book laying open to the left of the pharmacy shelves is an herbal. The object lying at the left of the counter is a pill rolling machine. On the second shelf up on the left, the two jars that look like skittles are decorated with depictions of Adam and Eve.
A closer look at the right-hand side of the pharmacy. The object centre left in the image is a balance, surrounded by various weights. The gentleman depicted on the front of the counter is intended to be Aesculapius.
Further to the right of the pharmacy, we see a wall cabinet intended for the safe storage of poisonous drugs. The gentleman in the painting is friar Ivan Evangelist Kuzmic (1807 to 1880). He was in charge of the pharmacy from 1835 until his death in 1880. Below him is a plaque to commemorate the 650th anniversary of the pharmacy.
Now back to the left-hand side of the pharmacy. Here we see a collection of mortars and various metal containers. The collection is dominated by the still in the window recess, reputedly dating from the 16th century.
A close-up of the herbal, written in German rather than Croatian or Latin. The plant depicted on the left page is St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), and on the right, Cowslip (Primula veris).
And lastly, a view of the monastery gardens taken from the cloisters outside the pharmacy museum.
Bibliography
- Nosic, S. (2017). The Pharmacy of the Friars Minor, 700 years of health of the people of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik: Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor. ISBN 978-953-56353-6-9
- Photos and main text by Malcolm Kinross (January 2025)
- Locate the item on this Google Map