Orlando’s Column and the Dubrovnik Ell
Located on Luža Square at the eastern end of the Stradun, Orlando’s Column is the city’s oldest public sculpture and was, for a long time, the only secular monument in Dubrovnik.
Erected in 1418, it depicts the medieval knight Orlando with his sword raised. Carved in the Gothic style by sculptor Bonino da Milano, the column served over the centuries as both an urban focal point and the heart of public life, justice, and civic ceremony.
The Knight Orlando
The knight Roland (known as Orlando in Italian) lived in the 8th century as a Frankish military commander serving King Charlemagne. As the military governor of the Breton March, he defended Frankish borders against Breton attacks in northwestern France. He fell on August 15, 778, at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass fighting against the Basques in northern Spain.
The only historical record of Orlando appears in Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni (The Life of Charlemagne), where he is described as Hruodlandus Brittannici limitis praefectus.
His valor is celebrated in the medieval cycle of poems known as the Matter of France, most famously in the epic The Song of Roland (Chanson de Roland)—the premier Old French epic poem about Charlemagne. Composed between the 11th and early 12th centuries, the cycle portrays Orlando as Charlemagne’s nephew and the ultimate ideal of chivalric heroism.
During the Late Middle Ages, statues of Roland were erected in town squares across Europe—especially in German cities—as symbols of civic freedom, justice, and municipal autonomy. The oldest surviving Roland statue, dating back to 1404, stands in Bremen.
The Dubrovnik Legend of Orlando
In Dubrovnik, Orlando took on a unique local significance.
According to local legend, he helped defend the city against a Saracen fleet near the island of Lokrum. Historically, however, the column’s creation is tied to political developments following the 1358 Treaty of Zadar, when Dubrovnik joined the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia.
It is believed that Roland’s symbolism reached the city through King Sigismund of Luxembourg, who stayed in Dubrovnik after his defeat at the Battle of Nicopolis. Consequently, the column served both as an expression of political loyalty and an affirmation of the Republic’s autonomy.
Atop the column once stood a flagpole flying a white banner bearing the monogram of St. Blaise, the city’s patron saint.
The Hub of City Life
The Dubrovnik Ell
Beyond its symbolic value, the column played a practical role in daily civic life. Public decrees were announced in front of it, and the knight’s right forearm served as the Republic’s official standard measure of length—the Dubrovnik ell (dubrovački lakat, measuring 51.3 cm)—used extensively in the textile trade.
The Pillory
The column also functioned as a public pillory. Convicts were bound to it and exposed to public ridicule for hours, or subjected to harsh corporal punishment such as flogging, branding, or mutilation. The scholar Filippo de Diversis documented these practices in 1440 in his Description of the Famous City of Dubrovnik.
De Diversis also noted that during grand festivities—especially on the eve of the Feast of St. Blaise—debtors were granted safe passage into the city to negotiate with creditors without fear of arrest. Thus, Orlando was not only a symbol of justice, but a designated space of temporary legal amnesty and social order.
Felled by the Wind
Throughout history, the column was damaged and relocated several times. In 1825, a violent gale blew it down, leaving the square without its monument for nearly half a century. When it was finally re-erected, its orientation was changed to face north rather than its original position facing east.
The Column in the Works of Marin Držić
Orlando holds a prominent place in Dubrovnik’s literary heritage, particularly in the plays of Renaissance playwright Marin Držić. In his works, the column appears as a landmark of city life, a symbol of authority, and a site of public punishment. Its role was multifaceted—spanning the line between lofty chivalric ideals and the gritty reality of urban life.
Orlando’s Column and the Festivity of St. Blaise
Even today, the ceremonial hoisting of the saint’s banner on Orlando’s Column marks the official opening of the Festivity of St. Blaise, Dubrovnik’s most important annual event. Orlando’s Column remains the central meeting point on Luža Square, a setting for gathering and ceremony, and an enduring symbol of Dubrovnik’s freedom and identity.
Nearby Landmarks
- Stradun (Placa)
- Church of St. Blaise
- Rector’s Palace
- Sponza Palace
- City Bell Tower
- Little Onofrio’s Fountain
- Ploče Gate
Location
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a stunning coastal city in southern Croatia, known for its beautiful architecture and rich history. The city’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its impressive walls, cobblestone streets, and Baroque buildings.
ExploreGothic
Gothic appeared relatively late in Croatia. In addition to the 13th and 14th centuries, as long as it lasted in Europe, its influence is also visible in the 15th and 16th centuries – for example, on the Trogir and Sibenik cathedrals. Also on the territory of Croatia, you can often see admixtures of Romanesque and Renaissance in Gothic buildings. Gothic influence from European countries adapted to its possibilities and needs and thus created a “domestic artistic expression”. This mixture of styles is most pronounced in Dalmatia. The northern regions were exposed to the influences of Central Europe, while the coastal regions tied their artistic expression to Italian models.
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