Today’s Story

Cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello

When you fly into Cagliari, it is impossible not to notice its cupola. The cathedral of Santa Maria, the place of worship that is the symbol of the city, together with the basilica of Bonaria, stands out in the Castello neighbourhood its majestic bulk, flanked by Palazzo Regio and the ancient Palazzo di Città. The church is 35 metres long, 34 metres wide and 32 metres high, and was built with gothic-Romanesque forms. It was first mentioned in 1255: its patron saint was Saint Cecilia (it was later assigned to Santa Maria). Between the 13th and 14th centuries, it was expanded, but its current appearance is the result of Catalan-Aragonese interventions that lasted four centuries. The baroque marble façade dates back to 1704, inspired on the cathedrals of Lucca and Pisa, was dismantled in the vain hopes of finding the medieval façade beneath.