Nuestra Señora de la Asunción originates from the church of Santa Maria, which was built above the medieval mosque, near the town's Alcazaba, after the area had been conquered by Ferdinand III of Castile. The edifice is in Gothic-Renaissance style, with ogival arcades and pillars attributed to Hernán Ruiz the Elder, Hernán Ruiz the Younger (1556) and Hernán Ruiz III. The Gothic cross-vault ceiling is the oldest part of the church.
The Renaissance high altar (16th century) is attributed to Guillermo de Orta and Andrés de Castillejo, with paintings by Leonardo Enríquez de Navarra. Next to the altar is a small hexagonal chapel in Baroque style, from the early 18th century. Other artworks include the Roccoco case by the Cordoban goldsmith Damián de Castro, a large canvas of the Battle of Lepanto and a side Baroque portal in pink marble.
The tilting tower, begun in 1611 and finished in 1788, has a height of 55 meters.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.