The Palace of Duke Sandalj Hranić in Dubrovnik

The palace of Sandalj Hranić in Dubrovnik was built between 1420 and 1432, as result of the reconstruction and adaptation of three older buildings granted to the duke by the Ragusan government in 1405, and subsequently in 1419, as part of the agreement for his cession of ‟half of Konavle”. The palace stood on the site of todayʼs Poljana, in the vicinity of the Rectorʼs Palace, its eastern front facing the port and the main, western overlooking the apse of the Romanesque cathedral. Based on the published and newly found archival evidence, this article casts light on the architectural shaping of the palaceʼs exterior, as well as organization and design of the interior. Also examined are the circumstances that contributed to the finalisation of the building lavishly funded by the city government. The authors highlight the background of the building project and its main protagonists— the government bodies that passed the decisions, the officials responsible for their implementation, engineers and masters commissioned to design, build and carve architectural ornaments, execute the decoration of the interior. Special attention is focused on the connections between Sandaljʼs palace and other prominent private and public buildings in the city, as well as on the information on its later use, repairs and reconstruction from the close of the fifteenth century to 1667, when the building suffered irreparable damage in the Great Earthquake