Legend has it that the citizens of Dubrovnik erected the column in front of the St. Blaise church in order to praise Orlando and his fleet who saved a city of Dubrovnik from a 15-month-long Saracen siege. The story, however, does not provide us with any historical evidence and the column, a work of of the local sculptor Antun Dubrovčanin and master sculptor Bonino di Milano from 1418, is one type of many “Roland knight” columns in Europe that were erected as a symbol of belonging to the Hanseatic League (a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns). It is an interesting fact that the forearm of Orlando knight-column, that is situated in front of the main trading center and business meeting place known as Sponza Palace, served as a standard measure of the Ragusan cubit, lakat. Atop of the Orlando column platform was suited for public proclamations, while the column also provided a glag-pole for the flag that was raised to celebrate a certain festivity such as the opening and closing ceremony of famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival.
