The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands on the same spot where Romans bathed two thousand years ago. The present church dates from the twelfth century, with later Gothic and Renaissance additions, but the columns and capitals inside are a salvage job from the original basilica and the Roman building beneath it — no two are alike.
Adjoining the cathedral, sharing a single courtyard, is the Romanesque Church of St. Quirinus with its distinctive bell tower topped by an onion dome. The arrangement of two churches side by side, separated only by a narrow passage, gives the complex a depth and texture that a single building would not have. Inside the cathedral, look for the silver pala (altarpiece) and the wooden choir stalls.
The cathedral is on the eastern edge of the old town, just inside the walls. Entry is a few euros and includes the small treasury.