Oristano city of Sartiglia

Itineraries

Visiting the city of the Sartiglia means experiencing a journey, in which by strolling your way through the history of the Gremi and of many religious brotherhoods, you will really get to know the city and all of Spanish Sardinia.

Starting from the Antiquarium Arborense Archaeological Museum, with its two splendid altarpieces of the Madonna dei Consiglieri and San Martino, the themes concerning the Royal City of Oristano and professional associations, which are peculiar of the Spanish period, can be better understood.

The route then continues with a visit to the 17th century Chapel of the Gremio dei Falegnami di San Giuseppe, within the Cathedral, continuing with a visit to the Church of the Madonna del Carmine, dating back to the 18th century, an illustrious example of Baroque architecture in Sardinia, where the Gremio dei Sarti and the Confraternita delle Anime had their chapel; then, after passing through the streets which now host the equestrian joust, you will reach the Church of San Martino, built in the 13^th century, and today chapel of the only two Archconfraternities in the city. The journey ends with the rural church of San Giovanni Battista , built in between the 14^th and the 16^th centuries and known as Santu Giuann’e Froris, located outside the city walls, a few steps from the inhabited center. This church used to host chapel of the gremio dei Contadini, as per invocation of the Saint.

1 The Antiquarium Arborense Museum

📍 Via Parpaglia 37

The Archaeological Museum Antiquarium Arborense is housed inside the Parpaglia palace built in the Spanish period (17th century) under commission by nobleman Salvatore Enna, descendant of a rich and ancient aristocratic family from Oristano, in the Giudicato period. In 1938, the Podestà of Oristano, Paolo Lugas, bought the archaeological collection of lawyer Efisio Pischedda on behalf of the Municipality, giving life to the initial nucleus of the Arborense Antiquarium. The Parpaglia Palace, purchased later on by the Municipal Administration, has been the seat of the City Archaeological Museum since 1992, where in the Hall of the Altarpieces, three retablos can be admired, respectively from the Oristano churches of San Martino extra muros and San Francesco, and from the chapel of the Municipal City House.

2 Chapel of the Gremio dei Falegnami di San Giuseppe

📍 Piazza Duomo, inside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

The Gremio has the right to use the Chapel of San Giuseppe in the Cathedral of Oristano, the first assignment of which dates back to 1642, as noted in a subsequent document (dated 1754) confirming such Concession. In this chapel, the gremio celebrates the main religious holidays, such as the City’s patron saint, on March 19th, the day in which the corporate offices are renewed, and the Candelora mass (February 2), with the blessing of candles to be delivered to relatives, authorities and to the Su Componidori, as confirmation of the investiture assigned to him by the Majorale en cabo. Since the mid-1500s, the gremio takes care of the organizing the Sartiglia on Carnival Tuesday.

3 Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

📍 Piazza Duomo

An example of suburban Cathedral, built on a pre-existing Byzantine church dedicated to the Archangel Michael, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta now features part of the funerary area annexed to the ancient church. The first document certifying the existence of the church dedicated to Santa Maria is dated February 20th, 1192. The current Cathedral, built within the old structure under the elegant syle of Piedmont Baroque in the years 1729-1745, houses the chapel with the relics of Sant’Archelaus, patron of the city and of the diocese.

4 Church and Moastery of the Carmine

📍 Via del Carmine

The church and monastery of the Carmine were built, in Baroque style, between 1776 and 1785. Attributed to Piedmont-born architect Giuseppe Viana, this work was donated in 1782 to the Carmelite Order. Built on an ovoid planimetry, the church is embellished by four chapels and a main altar. The layout of the monastery winds around a quadrangular cloister bordered on the sides by a path, marked by a succession of ribbed vaults, stretching towards the west side in an alternation of cross vaults. As of today, the monastery, which underwent restorations between 1986 and 1989, is the seat of a detached section of the Universities of Sassari and Cagliari.

5 Church of San Martino

📍 Via San Martino

Having medieval origins indicated by the Judicial coats of arms, with Aragon poles next to the uprooted Arborea tree carved in a capital, this church appeared for the first time in a donation deed dated 1228 by Giudice of Arborea Pietro II and his wife Diana. On March 29^th, 1410, this sacred building welcomed the drafting of the Treaty of Peace of San Martino, with which the Kingdom of Aragon, winner in the bloody battle of Sanluri in 1409, decreed the de facto end of the Giudicato of Arborea. The church is located next to what used to be a Benedictine convent, later Dominican, then probably a school, and finally a hospital with the order of the Hospitallers. Within it is hosted the Madonna del Rosario chapel, which in ancient times housed the condemned to death on the night before their execution.

6 Country Church of San Giovanni Battista

📍 Strada 58, n. 25

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista in Oristano is a country church, located in the southwestern outskirts of the city, in a corner of unspoiled nature cared for by the Gremio dei Contadini, which preserves its traditions and decor. Formerly also called the Church of San Giovanni di Fuori, it is assumed to have been built around 1300. It is open today in June, on the occasion of the feast of San Giovanni Battista, and in February for the Sartiglia of Oristano. Since the mid-1500s, the gremio takes care of the Organization of the Sartiglia on Carnival Sunday.

7 The Sartiglia Documentation and Study Center

📍 Via Eleonora D’Arborea, 15

In 2011 the exhibition area of the Sartiglia Documentation and Study Center was set up, housed on the ground floor of the elegant “Palazzo Sanna”. This center deals with the research, analysis and study of the equestrian carousel, all of which is aimed at an increasingly in-depth knowledge of the event, of its genesis and of any transformations it underwent over time. The Sartiglia Sartiglia Documentation and Study Center is characterized by its interactive and multimedia presentation. Inspired by local architecture, the center tells the history and stories of the Sartiglia di Oristano are in an experiential and didactic path, which reviews the protagonists, the phases and the documents relating to the carousel.