The cathedral of Belluno determines the historical-religious hinge of the city, being surrounded by important buildings that perimeter the square on which it stands. In fact, it is crowned by the ex-palazzo del Tribunale (Court building), the Town Hall, the Palazzo dei Rettori (Prefecture), the Auditorium, the Baptistery and Palazzo Piloni, the seat of the Provincial Administration.
Built in the ancient urban centre, the first information about it dates back to the year 547 when Bishop Felice – as a sign of votive gratitude – named it after Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours. Of the original early-medieval church, there remain some stone fragments with decorative motifs in Vimino weave (9th-10th centuries), already used as filling material, found during the restoration after the earthquake of 1936. The simple stone facade has two Gothic windows, a rich Baroque portal and a central rose window closed by a glass on which saints are depicted. On the left, the baroque bell tower all in stone, is 71 meters high and was designed by the architect Filippo Juvara from Messina. The interior, majestic and elegant, is divided into three naves with high arches typical of Gothic churches. The walls are characterized by eighteenth-century marble altars while the dome shines airy and full of light. Among the most important works are the 1571 scene of the martyrdom of San Lorenzo by Jacopo Bassano, the Deposition by Palma il Giovane and, in the first altar on the right, the altarpiece by Andrea Meldolla, known as lo Schiavone.
