Dubrovnik Cathedral and Treasury

Dubrovnik Cathedral, formally the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, stands on Poljana Marina Drzica in the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia, a short walk south of the Rector's Palace. The present Baroque building was constructed between 1672 and 1713 on the site of earlier cathedrals, after the catastrophic earthquake of 1667 destroyed much of the city. Visitors enter a bright, spacious nave with a domed crossing, side altars of marble and a main altar that holds a polyptych of the Assumption attributed to the workshop of Titian. The church's greatest draw is the Treasury, reached from the sacristy area, which holds a rich collection of reliquaries, among them the relics of St Blaise, the city's patron saint, including his head, arm and leg encased in gilded silver and Byzantine-style enamel. The treasury also contains items associated with the Republic of Ragusa's long maritime history, and a jug said to be linked to Richard the Lionheart, a story repeated by local guides. The nave is open to all at no charge outside Mass, while the Treasury charges a small cash admission of roughly EUR 3-5. A visit typically takes about 30 minutes, with a little longer for the Treasury. Dress is conservative: shoulders and knees should be covered, and sightseeing stops during Mass. For photography, the best angle is from the square outside, where the Baroque facade and dome rise above the surrounding stone buildings, and from the aisle looking toward the altar. Crowds are lightest on weekday mornings; mid-day in summer can bring tour groups from the nearby cruise terminals. The cathedral combines naturally with the Rector's Palace, Sponza Palace and the Church of St Blaise in a walk through the historic core. Visitors who are interested in how the city rebuilt after 1667 will find the building a good illustration of the Baroque style that replaced the lost Romanesque cathedral.