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Bell Blessing for the Seamen of the world
Whenever they leave the City, or merely pass by, the ships sound their sirens.

Bell Blessing for the Seamen of the world
Like an echo from the land, one can hear the sounds of the bells of the white, centuries-old Church of St Mary of Mercy, or Our Lady of Danče, as the people of Dubrovnik call it. It is a moving and beautiful centuries-old tradition of the Franciscan Nuns of Immaculate Conception who salute the seamen, wishing them a calm sea, a happy voyage and a safe return to their families. Our Lady of Danče is a votive church, particularly for the seamen of Dubrovnik. Sea captains salute the church today too, while the nuns respond tirelessly and persistently by the church bell blessing. Nowadays, the nuns also salute the crews and passengers of huge tourist cruise ships, who adopted this Dubrovnik custom. After they land, the cruiser captains often visit the nuns and their monastery on the sea cliff. The monastery with a small cemetery was founded in 1457 by a decision of the Dubrovnik Republic Major Council, when Danče served as an isolated quarantine to accommodate the infected with the plague or the ones who could spread it. The little church houses two masterpieces of the Dubrovnik painting: the poliptych Madonna with Saints by Lovro Dobričević from 1465 and the poliptych Mother of God with Saints by Nikola Božidarević from 1517.

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