Chiesa di San Francesco

The Church of St. Francis is one of the finest examples of Catalan Gothic architecture in Sardinia. It's located in the heart of the historic center, next to the old convent dating back to the fourteenth century. In 1593 the building was damaged by a collapse and the restoration according to the canons of Renaissance classicism. The Church, in sandstone, is characterized externally by the bell tower, a hexagonal barrel on a square base and topped by a spire; The facade is simple, adorned only by a portal with lintel, which is carved the coat of arms of the Franciscans. The interior, designed originally a single nave with side chapels, after the restoration has three naves and five chapels on each side. The chapels house sumptuous wooden altars, made in the eighteenth century in Baroque style (altar of the "Lady of the Angels" and "St. Anthony of Padua"). The apse area is, however, in the Gothic style. The main altar is a work in polychrome marble of the late eighteenth century, built by Giovanni Battista Franco. The sacristy, decorated with antique furniture and wooden simulacra, gives access to the cloister, consisting of two rows of round arches, and the small chapel at the base of the bell tower.