St Blaise in History and the Present is the main exhibition of Dubrovnik Museums in 2012, and can be seen from May 16 to September 15 in the Rector’s Palace and in the Holes granary. The exhibition and accompanying projects were put on to mark the 1,040 years of the existence of the cult of St Blaise in Dubrovnik, and the 140th anniversary of the founding of Dubrovnik Museums. The exhibition was conceived to cover three thematic units; the cult of St Blaise is presented in the Holes granary; in the Rector’s Palace, the development of the cult in old Dubrovnik, or the Republic, is presented, together with St Blaise in state symbolism and St Blaise in art.
Four museums in the Dubrovnik Museums (Archaeological, Cultural History, Maritime and Ethnographic) took part in the production of the exhibition, together with leading scholars engaged as consultants. The design of the exhibition was by Dubrovnik Museums curator Ivona Michl. In total, 339 objects were displayed, 87 from the holdings of Dubrovnik Museums, the remaining exhibits coming in from 56 other institutions and individual lenders, mostly from the Dubrovnik Diocese.
The exhibition St Blaise in History and the Present is the central part of a project of Dubrovnik Museums the objective of which is to raise the level of consciousness about the importance of St Blaise in the Dubrovnik cultural area, to present the material and intangible cultural heritage that Dubrovnik has inherited thanks to its reverence for its patron, and to increase the level of recognisability of St Blaise as the heavenly protector of Dubrovnik.
Thus the exhibition is accompanied by a wide range of promotional and educational campaigns aimed at the general public, that is, the local population and tourists. As well as promotional materials and educational workshops adjusted to various age groups, Dubrovnik Museums have produced a wide spectrum of museum souvenirs inspired by the city’s patron saint. The exhibition and the catalogue have been produced with the financial support of the city of Dubrovnik and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.
Patron: Grad Dubrovnik
Media Sponsors: Dubrovački vjesnik, The Dubrovnik Times, Dulist, Soundset Ragusa, DubrovnikNet Sponsors: Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, Hrvatska turistička zajednica, Turistička zajednica grada Dubrovnika, Fotostar, Fortuna komers, Pako, Atlantska plovidba, Libertas Dubrovnik, Ambasada film, Studio Beluga.
The catalogue is available in the museum shop of Dubrovnik Museums.