Built in the ancient urban settlement, the first information regarding it dates back to the year 547 when Bishop Felice – in a sign of votive gratitude – dedicated it to Saint Martin, bishop of Tours. Some stone fragments with decorative wicker motifs (9th-10th centuries), which were already used as building material, remain from the original early medieval church, discovered during the restorations after the earthquake of 1936. From its 14th-century altars, there remains the so-called arca degli Azzoni, walled inside the bell tower, and the degli Avoscano, which today serves as the altar table in the crypt.
In 1471, an accidental fire forced the reconstruction of the cathedral, which previously had its facade facing the Piave River. The new cathedral was built starting from 1517, designed by Tullio Lombardo, and was gradually enriched throughout the 17th and 18th centuries by the bishops who succeeded one another in leading the Belluno church.
In 1732, the Baroque bell tower was erected, designed by Filippo Juvarra, and it became a minor basilica in 1980.
Inside, numerous works by important artists are preserved, such as Cesare Vecellio, Andrea Meldolla known as lo Schiavone, Jacopo Da Ponte, Andrea Brustolon, Gaspare Diziani, and others.
