The history of Dubrovnik begins in the 7th-century with the settlement of the refugees from the destroyed Roman colony of Epidaurum, present-day Cavtat. It appears that the city was well fortified by the 11th-century. The early Dubrovnik was under Byzantine authority and protection, and remained like that until 1205, when a new era in its turbulent history began with the submission to Venetian rule. Dubrovnik remained under Venetian over lordship until the peace of Zadar in 1358. That treaty brought wide autonomy to the City, this time under the protection of Croato-Hungarian kings.
The 15th and 16th-centuries mark the golden age of Dubrovnik`s history, with the development of commerce and maritime trade supported by a well organized and strong government and canny diplomacy.
The crisis in the Mediterranean maritime trade over the next centuries weakened the Republic`s economic position, and the great earthquake of 1667 accentuated its gradual fall.
In 1806, Napoleon`s army marched through the town and general Marmont abolished the Republic of Dubrovnik two years later. After a short period of French rule Dubrovnik became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1814, and the Kingdom of SHS in 1918. After the Second World War, Dubrovnik shared the destiny with the rest of Croatia within the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia.
From 1992 Dubrovnik is one of the most prosperous towns of the independent Republic of Croatia. The road to independence was not easy at all. On October 1, 1991 Dubrovnik became a target of Serbian and Montenegrian military forces. The worst attack happened on December 6, 1991, when the very heart of Dubrovnik, its old town, which has been inscribed on the list of UNESCO`s world heritage since 1979, was badly damaged. Nevertheless, thanks to the love of its own people as well as the financial aid of the international community, Dubrovnik was rebuild, its centuries-old monuments restored and it continues to proudly bear the title of the pearl of the Adriatic.

Saint-Blaise
Saint Blaise has been the patron saint of Dubrovnik since the 10th-century, when according to a legend, he appeared in a dream to a priest named Stojko and warned him that Venetians were planning to attack Dubrovnik. The city was saved and Saint Blaise, an old long-bearded man with a bishop`s crosier and hat, became a symbol of Dubrovnik`s identity. His figure adorns the flag of the Republic as well as the Republic`s money and seals. The Saint`s Feast Day is celebrated on February 3 every year. At the time of the Republic of Dubrovnik the annual Franchise of Saint Blaise was instituted. The government solemnly promised to give immunity to any debtor or exiled criminal, who were allowed to come to Dubrovnik three days before and three days after the feast. The chosen less harmful prisoners were set free from jails during that period, as well.
Today, Saint Blaise`s day is the most important feast in Dubrovnik, when people from Dubrovnik and its surroundings, dressed in traditional costumes, come to Dubrovnik to honour the Saint and its relics, which are carried in a big procession down the streets of the old town.