DUBROVNIK CATHEDRAL . .. . .Many of the sites in the Old Town tended to ban photography and not sell postcards. Frustrating! So, I did go to the Cathedral, but I didn’t have much to show for it. I was hard to resist, but I decided not to take pictures on the sly.

The 12th century Cathedral was largely funded by Richard the Lionhearted from England. On his way home from the Third Crusade, he was shipwrecked on the island of Lokrum. He vowed that if he survived, he’d build a church on the spot. However, the people of Dubrovnik requested that he build the church inside the walls instead of on the island in their harbor. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1667, the current Roman Baroque building was built in the 18th century.

Somewhere in the Cathedral was a treasury. There were some very special Catholic relics hidden away in there. According to the story there was part of the cross of Christ as well as a bit of swaddling clothes from the manger. If that wasn’t enough, there were a few body parts (arm, skull and leg) of the city’s patron saint, Blaise. I didn’t mind not seeing those last three items.

Not far from the Cathedral was the Jewish Synagogue. When the Jews were kicked out of Portugal and Spain in 1492, some of them found their way to Dubrovnik. The second oldest synagogue in Europe was atop a narrow flight of stairs in what was once the Jewish ghetto. Alas, no photography was allowed. And alas again, I respected that. However, it was extremely hard because the ceiling was so beautifully painted in blue with a star of David trim.

MARTIN