Dubrovnik Cathedral and Treasury, Dubrovnik

In 1192, returning from the Third Crusade, Richard I of England survived a shipwreck off the island of Lokrum, near present-day Dubrovnik. As an offering of gratitude, Richard pledged to fund two churches. One of them was the Romanesque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Dubrovnik.

Richard's cathedral was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667. The Senate of Dubrovnik commissioned Italian architect Andrea Bufalini to rebuild. He developed a Baroque model church with a nave, two aisles, and a cupola. Friar Tommaso Napoli of Palermo added a cross vault and large windows on the upper level.

The portal on the facade is flanked by Corinthian columns. A central Baroque window is in a triangular gable with a balustrade and statues of saints. Niches hold statues of Saint Blaise and Saint Joseph with Child.

The interior has a high nave with two aisles separated by massive columns. There are three apses and a dome where the nave and transepts meet. The main altar has a polyptych by Titian from 1552 of the Assumption of Mary. The side altars hold paintings by both Italian and Dalmatian masters.

The Cathedral Treasury has 182 reliquaries with relics from the 11th to the 18th century. The reliquaries were created by local artists and masters from Byzantium, Venice, and Asia Minor. The featured relics are the gold-plated arm, leg, and skull of Saint Blaise. There is also a piece of the True Cross.