The Cathedral, or Duomo in Italian, dedicated to the Our Lady of the Assumption, was built between 1059 and 1073. 

The building was constructed outside the city walls on an early Christian basilica. 
Cadalo, the count and bishop of Parma, later to become antipope, selected the site of the Cathedral. The building was damaged in the earthquake of 1117 and was later restored. 

The Duomo is certainly one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Northern Italy. 
The façade is decorated with a pitched roof, under which you will notice a series of small balconies or loggias. There is a row directly under the roof, and two more rows on either side of the main entrance. 

The portico over the main door was built by Giambono di Bissone in 1281, and is supported by two lion sculptures.  The arched lintel is decorated with a series of reliefs depicting the months of the year. 

The gothic bell tower was constructed between 1284 and 1294.  The church houses numerous works of art, including Correggio’s Assumption of the Virgin, a fresco painted between 1526 and 1530.  Lattanzio Gambara painted the life of Christ on the walls of the central nave.  In the right transept, you will find Benedetto Antelami’s Deposition, his first attempt at sculpture, created in 1178. 

The sculpture was a part of an ambo that has since been destroyed.  The sacristy is decorated with the inlaid wood, carved by Christopher Canozzi of Lendinara, who depicted the city at the end of the 15th century.