St. Maria of Lopud

Franciscan monks arrived at Lopud in 1483 and began to build the church of Santa María de Spilica with a 40 m tall bell tower and a spacious convent. To protect against pirates, a fort was also built with the help of the Dubrovnik Republic, which at that time was very powerful thanks to the money received from maritime trade. In 1516, a wall was added to protect the harbour entrance into Lopud, which in case of war, would shelter the island's inhabitants. The church has many works of art including the 15th century main altar painting by Pietro di Giovanni, a Venetian artist. In the midst of the altar, there is a life size wooden statue of the Virgin.