Its name derives from Iglesiente, the territory that was the protagonist of the Sardinian mining past, of which this town was central. It is populated by 27 thousand inhabitants, as well as being the bishop’s seat and heir of the ancient diocese of Sulcis. In Spanish, ‘Iglesias’ means ‘churches’. Not by chance - in a place with a glorious past, especially during the Catalan-Aragonese domination (when it was a royal city), the celebration of the rituals of Holy Week take on forms and colours of Spanish tradition. The Processioni dei Misteri (Processions of the Mysteries) on Holy Tuesday and Friday are the most evocative expressions. Amongst the churches, the Cathedral of Santa Chiara (14th century), the Madonna delle Grazie, the Chiesa del Collegio, the Jesuit ‘temple’, and San Francesco, one of Sardinia’s most intact and significant examples of Gothic architecture and which houses a retable from 1560, are all worth a visit.