Santa Maria Cathedral

The cathedral of Saint Mary, in Cagliari

The cathedral of Saint Mary is the great religious building of Cagliari, on the Piazza Palazzo, with a style shaped by eight centuries of transformations. The Cagliari audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this church raised by the Pisans in the thirteenth century, become a cathedral in 1258, that mingles the Romanesque, the Gothic and a rich baroque decoration, and preserves the sculpted pulpit of master Guglielmo and precious mausoleums.

History

The cathedral of Cagliari owes its so particular style to the numerous modifications that it knew over the centuries. In the twelfth century, Cagliari called upon the Republic of Pisa to defend itself from the attacks come from the sea; the Pisans, first allies, took control of the island and settled durably, raising a great church of square plan, with one nave and two aisles. Two centuries later, the addition of a transept gave it the Latin cross plan, and, the Gothic being then in fashion, the bell tower was modified and the façade was pierced with a great Gothic window. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries came the time of renovations, in a resolutely baroque style. Inside, you discover, in contemplation, inlays of red, white, grey and black marble forming geometric motifs on the floors and the chapels, finely worked wrought iron and stuccoes adorning the ceilings. Lovers of sacred art will admire above all the pulpit of master Guglielmo, two pulpits sculpted in the twelfth century and originally planned for the cathedral of Pisa, as well as the mausoleum of the Aragonese king Martin I of Sicily, dead during the conquest of Sardinia.

What to see

Here you admire, in contemplation, the cathedral of Cagliari, raised by the Pisans in the thirteenth century and a cathedral since 1258, whose style mingles Romanesque, Gothic and rich baroque decoration: polychrome marbles, stuccoes, wrought iron, the sculpted pulpit of master Guglielmo and the mausoleum of king Martin I of Sicily. The cathedral of Saint Mary is a major place of prayer, to be visited with respect. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The cathedral of Saint Mary stands on the Piazza Palazzo, in the Castello district, in Cagliari, reachable on foot. It is a place of worship in activity, whose access is made in the respect of the services and of contemplation; the entry is generally free and the building often closes at midday. It is best to enquire before coming and to adopt correct attire.

Why does the cathedral of Cagliari have such a particular style?

Because it was transformed over eight centuries: raised by the Pisans in the thirteenth century in a Romanesque style and become a cathedral in 1258, it later received a transept and Gothic elements, then a rich baroque decoration in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; it preserves the sculpted pulpit of master Guglielmo and the mausoleum of king Martin I of Sicily.

Where is the cathedral of Saint Mary in Cagliari?

On the Piazza Palazzo, in the Castello district, in Cagliari, in Italy.