Hispanich Architecture in Cagliari

Hispanich Architecture in Cagliari

A captivating cultural walk through the religious buildings left by the Spanish domination as a legacy in the capital of Sardinia

elaborate forme gotiche: archi acuti e volte stellate

Cagliari Sanctuary of the Virgin of Bonaria, Cloister of San Domenico, Church of San Giacomo, Aragonese Chapel in the Cathedral

Journey length: 2.7 km

Road travel time: 38’

The sanctuary of the Madonna di Bonaria, in Piazza Bonaria

It is a sumptuous example of Gothic-Catalan architecture in Sardinia, dating back to the first few years of the 14th century, during the Aragonese siege of the town. The building was built with limestone blocks and has a typical Catalan structure. In the façade there are elements of the (destroyed) church of San Francesco di Stampace. The hall, with a single nave, also has an apse with a polygonal design. The lateral chapels on the southern side have a pointed barrel ceiling, replacing the original wooden one. The current size of the sanctuary is the result of renovation work done in the mid-19th century. The original parts are in the presbytery, the only area still remaining of the 14th century building, with a semi-decagonal shape, over which there is an umbrella-shaped vault.

Nostra Signora di Bonaria

In the island's capital, on top of a famous hill, is Sardinia's most famous Catholic sanctuary, with a famous past and a present of great...

Cloister of San Domenico, Piazza San Domenico

Of the original Dominican church, founded in the first half of the 15th century (and destroyed by bombing in 1943), a rectangular cloister still remains, an area of the Gothic-Catalan building still standing. In the western wing, seven chapels stand out, dating back to the 15th century, with a ribbed cross vault and a hanging keystone You can admire elaborate artistic details like the capitals of the colonnade, decorated with phytomorphic high-reliefs and animal figures.

The cloister of San Domenico

A silent oasis perfect for meditation, a short walk from the lively streets of the old town centre of Sardinia's capital city, where the...

Church of San Giacomo, piazza San Giacomo

The sanctuary, flanked by the oratories of the Souls and of the Crucifix, dates back to the 15th century: it is one of the first pieces of evidence of Gothic-Catalan architecture in Sardinia. It was built between 1442 and 1448, as is documented in an epigraph. The current façade is from the neoclassical period and was built in the 19th century, based on a design by Gaetano Cima. In the central nave, five chapels open up on each side. The capilla mayor in the area of the presbytery, with a star-shaped vault and hanging keystones, is unmistakably of Catalan origin.

San Giacomo - Cagliari

One of the most important Hispanic architectural expressions in Cagliari, an symbol of the Gothic-Catalan style of southern Sardinia, it was a...

An Aragonese chapel in the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello, Piazza Palazzo

Santa Maria di Castello, founded in the 13th century in the Pisan district, became a cathedral in 1258, with the collapse of the Giudicato of Cagliari. In the Pisan chapel, dating back to the first few years of the 14th century, you will notice Gothic architectural elements: the tall slender shape, underlined by the cross vault supported by thin suspended columns, and the mullioned window with a lobed arch. A style that also returns in the Aragonese chapel, after 1326, that marks the moment in which the town fell under Aragonese rule. The chapel is in a specular position to the Pisan chapel, on the right of the altar.

Cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello

In the heart of the Sardinian capital lies the most important and famous monument of the Castello neighbourhood, a piece of history: the cathedral...

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Hispanich Architecture in Cagliari