Dubrovnik Cathedral (Church of the Assumption)

Frommer's Review

The original Church of the Assumption was built between the 12th and 14th centuries atop the ruins of a 6th- or 7th-century Byzantine basilica. According to legend, it was financed by King Richard the Lionhearted, who was shipwrecked and rescued in Dubrovnik and made the donation to build a church to give thanks for his rescue. The legend probably isn't true, but historians say the original cathedral was an elaborate Romanesque affair so severely damaged in the 1667 earthquake that it had to be restored. The cathedral was rebuilt following the quake in the au courant baroque style and it thus became the third church to be constructed on that site. In fact, remnants of both earlier churches are still visible in the present-day cathedral, which is a three-nave structure in the shape of a cross. The cathedral also has a rich treasury that includes many valuable gold and silver reliquaries and the pièces de résistance, the skull, arm, and leg of St. Blaise, all plated with gold. Tip: Don't miss Titian's polyptych "The Assumption of the Virgin" (1552) in the church's apse.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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