Dubrovnik Cathedral Dubrovnik, Croatia

Overview

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin (Velika Gospa) in Dubrovnik is an imposing Baroque cathedral built after the 1667 earthquake. Inside are a number of important paintings (including one by Tatian) and an extensive treasury.

History

Dubrovnik's cathedral was originally built in the 6th or 7th century in the Byzantine style, then rebuilt as a Romanesque church between the 12th and 14th centuries.

According to legend (which is unfortunately not well-supported by history), the rebuild was financed by a donation from King Richard the Lionheart (1157-99) after he was shipwrecked and rescued in Dubrovnik.

The Romanesque cathedral was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1667 and rebuilt in the Baroque style by Roman architects Andrea Buffalini and Paolo Andreotti.

Description

Dubrovnik Cathedral has a Latin cross plan with three high naves culminating in three apses. Remnants of the earlier churches are still visible inside. The transept crossing is surmounted by a great Baroque dome.

The main altar features a painting of The Assumption by Titian (c.1552) and the side altars have paintings by various Italian and Dalmatian artists of the 16th through 18th centuries.

Next door is the Cathedral Treasury (Riznica Katedrale), which is famed for its collection of around 200 reliquaries. Among the relics enshrined there are the arm, leg and skull of St. Blaise, all plated with gold, and a fragment of the True Cross.

The treasury also has a copy of a Virgin of the Chair attributed to Raphael (the original is in Florence) and a large collection of sacred objects made of gold. One notable example is a pitcher and basin, decorated with plants and animals of the Dubrovnik area.