The Cathedral of Dubrovnik, or the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Katedrala Marijina Uznesenja, in Croatian) is the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Dubrovnik. The cathedral was built in 1672-1713, in the early Baroque style, on the ruins of an earlier Romanesque cathedral from the XII-XVII centuries and which, in turn, was built on the site of a 7th (or 8th) Byzantine church. Regarding the previous cathedral (the one from the 12th-17th centuries) it is said that it was built by Richard the Lionheart, King of England, as a thank for escaping alive from the shipwreck on Lokrum Island (near Dubrovnik) in 1192 on his return from the Third Crusade. The present cathedral was built as an imperative necessity after the total destruction of the previous one, as well as of the fortress (thousands of dead), following the terrible earthquake of 1667. The city authorities (the amazing Republic of Ragusa, 1358-1808) appealed to Andrea Buffalini, the most famous Italian architect of the time. The master builders, however, brought quite big changes to the initial project, especially at the top where a less ordinary terrace was made, with the balustrade adorned with statues of the saints (Sicilian model, the last builder, Tommaso Napoli being Sicilian), as well as modifications that have brought more light inside. In short, the Cathedral consists in one nave and two-aisle longitudinal church with side chapels, transept and dome over the crossing. The sanctuary of the church houses the main altar behind which is the famous polyptych (painting on several panels ± articulated) "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary" by Titian (about 1550). Side of the sanctuary are the Sacristy and the Treasure, the latter, by wealth and the value of the 182 pieces dating from the 11th - 18th centuries, bearing the Cathedral's fame (entry fee for Treasury and no photo). The treasure contains relics (relics of St. Blaise (Sveti Vlaho, guardian of the town), pieces from the True Cross, etc.), works of art and church jewels and vessel. The beautiful altars made in Baroque style and placed along the sides adorn the cathedral, among them the ones at the ends of the transept (St. Bernard's altar and especially St. John Nepomuk's altar).