THE CATHEDRAL OF SAINT NICOLA: THE BAROQUE JEWEL OF THE CITY
A jewel result of best Baroque Art : statues, columns and decorations, the first impact with the facade of the Cathedral of San Nicola in Sassari is a real surprise. Set in the old city center, it lies along narrow streets full of charm. And when this Church appears you will be kidnapped by the beauty of what can be created by human genius and art .
The facade was completed in the first half of the eighteenth century with three niches holding the statues of Saints Turritan martyrs : Proto, Gavino and Gianuario, and in the center the niche with the statue of San Nicola, the patron saint of the city of Sassari.
Dedicated to "Sanctu Nicola de Thathari", it’s mentioned for the first time in San Pietro of Silki's Condaghe (ancient Sardinian documents), dating back to the early XII century. Through the centuries the Church has undergone several changes. A section of the wall in the vestry remains from the Romanic phase, on which the bell tower was built in the second half of the thirteenth century.
It was later demolished and rebuilt in the Catalan Gothic style in two phases: the first between 1434 and 1444 and the second from 1480 to the early sixteenth century. Behind the altar you can admire the choir, fine wooden work of Sassari's cabinetmakers that was made in the second half of the seventeenth century. A 14th century panel depicting the Madonna del Bosco is inserted in the center of the main altar. Noteworthy is the neoclassical mausoleum of the Count of Maurienne, made by the Canovian Felice Festa.
Next to the Duomo, a must visit place is the Museo Diocesano (Diocesan Museum) that houses silverware, vestments and sacred vessels, missals and precious paintings of great value belonging to the Cathedral, while the art gallery is housed in the nearby church of San Michele.
Contacts:
Site Holder: Ufficio Beni Culturali della Diocesi di Sassari +39 079 232574
Gestione Cooperativa Areté +39 3470007882
