Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Cathedral (Katedrala)
Dubrovnik's original 12th-century cathedral was funded largely by the English King
Richard the Lionheart. On his way back from the Third Crusade, Richard was shipwrecked
nearby. He promised God that if he survived, he'd build a church on the spot where he
landed—which happened to be on Lokrum Island, just offshore. At Dubrovnik's request,
Richard agreed to build his token of thanks inside the city instead. It was the finest
Romanesque church on the Adriatic...before it was destroyed by the 1667 earthquake. This
version is 18th-century Roman Baroque.
Cost and Hours:
Church—free, open daily 8:00 until Mass begins at 18:00; treas-
ury—15 kn, generally open same hours as church; both have shorter hours off-season.
Visiting the Cathedral:
Inside,you'llfindapaintingfromtheschoolofTitian
(Assump-
tion of the Virgin)
over the stark contemporary altar, and a quirky treasury
(riznica)
packed
with 187 relics. Examining the treasury collection, notice that there are three locks on the
treasurydoor—thestuffinherewassovaluable,threedifferentVIPs(therector,thebishop,
and a local aristocrat) had to agree before it could be opened. On the table near the door
are several of St. Blaise's body parts (pieces of his arm, skull, and leg—all encased in gold
and silver). In the middle of the wall directly opposite the door, look for the crucifix with
a piece of the True Cross. On a dig in Jerusalem, St. Helen (Emperor Constantine's moth-
