Built in the opulent Italian Baroque style which was popular at the time, the majestic medieval monument towers over the red-tiled roofs of Dubrovnik's colorful buildings next to the Old Port. This site was once occupied by an ancient temple dating from the 6th century, and later by a Romanesque church built with the personal money of Richard the Lionheart. According to local legend, the English king was miraculously washed up on the coast of Dubrovnik after a shipwreck. For his salvation, the king decided to build a temple here, which stood for five centuries until the strongest earthquake in 1667. Less than a year later, the construction of a new Catholic cathedral in honor of the Assumption, designed by the famous Italian architect Andrea Bufalini, began.

Locals attended the first mass 30 years after the beginning of the construction of Dubrovnik's main shrine. This cathedral is still functioning. It fascinates tourists with its beauty and grandeur, captivates with its history, delights with its interior. Even the tragic events of 1991 could not destroy the shrine. Its strong stone walls withstood the heavy bombardment, and within a few months, the temple was completely restored.

But no matter how beautiful the exterior of the cathedral is, nothing can compare with its interior decoration. It is adorned by more than 200 artifacts of sacred art, including paintings by medieval masters. For example, there is the unique Baroque altar of St. John of Nepomuk, which was presented by the adviser of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, Nikola Josip Djivovich. Besides, the cathedral treasury holds a copy of Raphael's painting of the Virgin Mary and a golden font with images of Dubrovnik's animals and plants. Slender marble columns, stone statues of saints, sculptural compositions, and paintings of the 11th-18th centuries are not impressive but also of cultural and artistic value for the entire art world.