Cathedral of the Assumption and Baroque Treasury

Why is it significant?

Before you rises the majestic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a monumental triumph of Roman Baroque architecture crowned by an elegant dome.

Key Facts

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Before you rises the majestic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a monumental triumph of Roman Baroque architecture crowned by an elegant dome. After the catastrophic earthquake of 1667 destroyed the city's Romanesque basilica, the Ragusan Senate commissioned renowned Italian architects Andrea Bufalini and Tommaso Napoli to erect this noble cathedral, completed between 1671 and 1713.

Archaeological excavations beneath the cathedral floor revealed extraordinary subterranean history: deep below the Baroque foundations lie the remains of a lavish twelfth-century Romanesque cathedral funded in part by England's King Richard the Lionheart, and beneath that, the foundations of a sixth-century Byzantine basilica, proving that Dubrovnik was a major Christian center centuries earlier than written records suggested.

Above the cathedral's high altar hangs a breathtaking artistic masterpiece: the monumental polyptych of the Assumption of the Virgin, painted in 1552 by the celebrated Venetian master Titian and his workshop. Its rich Venetian hues and luminous angelic figures draw the eye upward in sublime spiritual reverence. Beside the high altar, finely carved choir stalls in dark walnut showcase the exceptional skill of seventeenth-century Venetian woodworkers. The marble side altars feature priceless devotional paintings by prominent Italian and Dalmatian masters, while graceful crystal chandeliers suspended from the vaulted ceiling bathe the Baroque interior in warm, luminous radiance. Stone epitaphs mark the resting places of Dubrovnik most revered bishops.

Adjoining the sanctuary lies the famous Cathedral Treasury, one of the richest church treasuries in the Mediterranean. Safeguarded behind heavy iron doors are over one hundred and forty gold and silver reliquaries crafted by master Ragusan goldsmiths between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries, including the gold-plated skull, arm, and leg reliquaries of Saint Blaise, studded with precious rubies, emeralds, and pearls.

Walk west into the bustling space of Gundulić Square.