The most beautiful religious buildings Italy

Logoduro is home to some of the finest Romanesque buildings in Sardinia. These churches were built from the ^11th century onwards, when the region became one of the island's four giudicati (administrative divisions). As the maritime powers of Genoa and Pisa gradually put an end to Moorish incursions on the island and preserved Christianity, their political and commercial interests permeated Sardinia. Temporal power was soon followed by spiritual power, hence the Pisan and Tuscan influences in the architecture of religious buildings. The political interference of these two rival powers over the "judge kings" lasted until the ^14th century, slowly transforming into a protectorate, and finally domination.

This is a picturesque itinerary to discover the most beautiful Christian temples built in north-western Sardinia between the end of the ^11th and the beginning of the ^12th centuries. The tour, which starts at Sassariand continues through Sassari to Semestene, covers a distance of 150 kilometers and requires a full day's visit. Last but not least, this tour also allows you to discover a little-known and rather wild region. It can be combined with a visit to the nuragic site of Santu Antine and the domus de janas (necropolis) of Sant'Andrea Priu. Detailed descriptions of each church can be found on the following pages:

Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Regno

Chiesa di San Nicola di Trullas

Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Cabbu Abbas

Monastero di San Pietro di Torres

A place with an atypical history! There was once an oratory dedicated to the Archangel Michael, built in the garden of a Benedictine monastery. Since then, there has been a portico that was enlarged and consolidated in 1337, as the current two-storey structure was built above it to store wheat in the event of famine. In 1380, because of the increasingly intense devotion to an image of the Madonna placed on a pilaster in the portico, the arcades on the ground floor were closed. The portico was thus transformed into an unusual church with two naves, which is now the worthy setting for a splendid marble tabernacle in Gothic style, the work of the Florentine sculptor Andrea Orcagna. This old church, transformed into a grain market and then again into a church, houses a beautiful, albeit somewhat dark, interior of medieval architecture.

Among the statues that adorn the exterior of the Orsanmichele church are those of Lorenzo Ghiberti in bronze, on the side of Arte della Lana Street, representing Saint Matthew, at the corner of Orsanmichele Street, and Santo Stefano. Those of Donatello - Saint George - and Verrocchio - a group with the Unbelief of Saint Thomas - towards Calzaioli Street have been replaced by copies (the originals being at the Bargello Museum). These statues were financed by the Florence merchant corporations, proof that the commercial activity was closely linked to religion and art. A few steps away, stands the imposing Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria.

Between 1698 and 1710, Giacomo Serpotta carried out the exuberant interior of this building, considered to be his masterpiece and called the "white coral cave". His stucco, decorated with allegorical statues and a hectic composition, makes the place exceptional. The paintings show the lives of Saint Francis and Saint Laurent. Above the altar, always made by Serpotta, was the splendid Nativity of Jesus, the last Work of Caravaggio carried out in 1609, which was unfortunately back in 1969.

Excellent example of Baroque style, work by Baldassarre Longhena.

Gold and gold! You can see with your own eyes that the Repubblica Serenissima could be rich and devout! The treasure of Saint-Marc consists of liturgical objects, cuts and chalices, shrines from Constantinople and sacred texts. It is one of the richest Treasures of sacred art.

This church dedicated to the patron saint of the city is one of the most beautiful creations of Italian Gothic architecture. Its construction began in 1390 and was not completed until 1659. A challenge set by the Bolognese, it was to become the largest basilica in the world. Unable to tolerate the idea that there was a basilica in Bologna larger than St. Peter's Church in Rome, the Pope decided otherwise by offering a new wing to the University of Bologna, placed right next to the basilica: a roundabout way to block the extent of its construction! The façade remained unfinished; only the lower level has been clad in white Istrian stone and pink Verona marble. Central portal decorated with bas-reliefs by Jacopo della Quercia. Inside, one is fascinated by the vastness of the Gothic style space and by the meridian drawn on the floor in 1655. Every June 21 at 1:16 pm, it marks the Bolognese summer solstice when the sun's rays illuminate the sign of cancer. The twenty-two chapels belonging to the donor families of the time and decorated with paintings can also be admired. The fourth on the left is decorated with frescoes by Giovanni da Modena (1410-1415), with scenes from the life of Saint Petronius, an Adoration of the Magi, Paradise and Hell. Among the damned is the Prophet Muhammad, which led to the basilica being the target of terrorist attacks, fortunately foiled, in 2002 and 2006. Above the high altar is the oldest organ in Italy.