The fortress church of St. Mary of Mercy

The fortress church of St Mary of Mercy began as a single-nave Gothic church with a rectangular apse in the 15th century. After the Ottoman attack on Vrboska in 1571, it was enlarged and fortified to provide shelter for local people. Its present form is marked by a rectangular plan, an elliptical rear half-tower, a southern rondel and a pointed bastion at the north-west corner. These defensive features were designed to control the approaches and protect the entrance, not merely to embellish the building. Most Renaissance artworks once kept here were moved to St Lawrence Parish Church. The building is an outstanding Dalmatian example of a church adapted for defence.