The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta dominates Gravina's old town with a Romanesque-Apulian façade and a bold square campanile. Built in the 12th century on the foundations of an earlier church, it has been modified and restored several times but retains its essential Norman character. The interior is simpler than many Pugliese cathedrals — the emphasis on the outside is almost always stronger than within.
The cathedral stands at the top of the old town's main street, and the square in front of it is where Gravina's social life concentrates in the evening. The façade is at its best in the late afternoon when the light comes from the west.