Collegium Ragusinum
The College of Dubrovnik
In 1624 the Jesuit Order in Dubrovnik had established the Collegium Societa Iesu (the college of the Society of Jesus). Thirty years later, the Dubrovnik Senate proclaimed it a public institution of a higher education, where arts and natural sciences were taught. The name of the school changed in 1778 when it became the Collegium Ragusinum (the college of Dubrovnik).
Before the Collegium, there was no high school in Dubrovnik. Governments never opened public high schools, afraid of possible student unrest, considering student groups as potential initiators of the national protests. Dubrovnik followed the Venetian model; there was no university in Venice either, the Studiorum generale (the General University) was in the nearby Padua.
For centuries, the Collegium remained high school, and even today, it’s the best high school in Dubrovnik. It’s a public school, still run by clergy, where all students may enroll, regardless of their gender or religion.
The Spanish steps turned into the shameful stairs
Today, Collegium Ragusinum is much more popular because of the TV series Game of Thrones. The most striking scenes in this play, the Walk of Atonement (Walk of Shame), were shot on the stairs leading to the College, called the Jesuit’s steps.
Visitors recognize the stairs solely as the place where the nude queen Cersei started her shameful walk through the city. Numerous aficionados of the Game of Thrones take selfies on those stairs every day. Nearby bars are selling Walk of Shame cocktails.
No one asks the reason why stairs are a replica of the Spanish steps in Rome, although on a much smaller scale. Dubrovnik and Venice were rivals. Venice was the hated enemy of Dubrovnik. Copies of Roman buildings were warning to the Venetians. Rome was the Dubrovnik’s greatest patron in front of Venice. At the same time, Roman architecture was a reminder of the origin of the Jesuits.
The Venetians never allow the Jesuits, teachers, and educators to settle in the territories they controlled. They found it easier to manage uneducated people, so they considered the Jesuits as a threat. On the contrary, Dubrovnik allowed the arrival of the Jesuit order and the opening of their school in Dubrovnik.
After several centuries, old rivalries are forgotten, and new iconography replaced the old ones. Today, King’s Landing is a much better-known place than Dubrovnik or even Venice, ever were.
Let me take you on the Game of Thrones tour, to discover other city locations where they filmed that popular show.
The striking scenes of the Walk of Atonement (Walk of Shame), were shot on the stairs leading to the College, called the Jesuit’s steps
COLLEGIUM RAGUSINUM
The College of Dubrovnik
In 1624 the Jesuit Order in Dubrovnik had established the Collegium Societa Iesu (the college of the Society of Jesus). Thirty years later, the Dubrovnik Senate proclaimed it a public institution of a higher education, where arts and natural sciences were taught. The name of the school changed in 1778 when it became the Collegium Ragusinum (the college of Dubrovnik).
Before the Collegium, there was no high school in Dubrovnik. Governments never opened public high schools, afraid of possible student unrest, considering student groups as potential initiators of the national protests. Dubrovnik followed the Venetian model; there was no university in Venice either, the Studiorum generale (the General University) was in the nearby Padua.
For centuries, the Collegium remained high school, and even today, it’s the best high school in Dubrovnik. It’s a public school, still run by clergy, where all students may enroll, regardless of their gender or religion.
The Spanish steps turned into the shameful stairs
Today, Collegium Ragusinum is much more popular because of the TV series Game of Thrones. The most striking scenes in this play, the Walk of Atonement (Walk of Shame), were shot on the stairs leading to the College, called the Jesuit’s steps.
Visitors recognize the stairs solely as the place where the nude queen Cersei started her shameful walk through the city. Numerous aficionados of the Game of Thrones take selfies on those stairs every day. Nearby bars are selling Walk of Shame cocktails.
No one asks the reason why stairs are a replica of the Spanish steps in Rome, although on a much smaller scale. Dubrovnik and Venice were rivals. Venice was the hated enemy of Dubrovnik. Copies of Roman buildings were warning to the Venetians. Rome was the Dubrovnik’s greatest patron in front of Venice. At the same time, Roman architecture was a reminder of the origin of the Jesuits.
The Venetians never allow the Jesuits, teachers, and educators to settle in the territories they controlled. They found it easier to manage uneducated people, so they considered the Jesuits as a threat. On the contrary, Dubrovnik allowed the arrival of the Jesuit order and the opening of their school in Dubrovnik.
After several centuries, old rivalries are forgotten, and new iconography replaced the old ones. Today, King’s Landing is a much better-known place than Dubrovnik or even Venice, ever were.
Let me take you on the Game of Thrones tour, to discover other city locations where they filmed that popular show.
