St. Stephen's Cathedral

St. Stephen's Cathedral sits on Hvar Town's main square, on a site with a genuinely long history: there was a Christian church here as early as the 6th century, later replaced by a Benedictine convent dedicated to St. Mary. Hvar has been a bishop's seat since 1147, and the cathedral as it stands today — built over the remains of a 14th-century Gothic church — dates mainly from 1605.

It's a three-nave basilica with a square apse, built by local stonemasons but decorated inside by Venetian artists, which is why the altars and paintings lean Baroque even though the building mixes Gothic, Renaissance, and early Baroque elements typical of 15th- and 16th-century Dalmatian churches. One of the oldest pieces inside is a Venetian painting of the Madonna, alongside several Baroque altars added in the 17th century and a Gothic-era pulpit that predates most of the rest of the interior.

The bell tower on the north side, built by local craftsmen in 1549–1550, is often ranked among the finest Renaissance bell towers in Dalmatia — but it's worth a visit of its own rather than a footnote here.

Mass is still held every Sunday morning in Croatian, and the square outside remains the busiest spot in town, lined with cafes that make a good base before heading back to the water — handy if you're already chartering a gulet in Croatia.