The Basilica is the oldest church dedicated to Cagliari’s patron saint. It stands in the area of the Christian necropolis and is considered one of the key Early Christian monuments in the Mediterranean. Over the centuries, it has undergone numerous transformations, nowadays identifiable in its complex and mulit-form architecture that bears witness to the historical, political and religious events that have occurred in Sardinia.
The Basilica can be found in the Villanova neighbourhood near the church of San Lucifero. Situated in front of a large piazza, it sits slightly below street level.
Built in the V century on the place which, according to tradition, was the burial place of Saturnino from Cagliari, martyred in 304; in 1089, the temple was gifted to the Benedictine monks from the San Vittore Monastery in Marseilles. The monks carried out work on the building in the XII century, completing it with criteria in Romanesque style.
Originally, the basilica had a Greek cross layout with hemispheric dome at the three-nave intersection of the arms; severely damaged during the air-raids in 1943, it now only has the domed central chamber and eastern arm, which maintained the three naves and semi-circular apse.
During the restoration work carried out between 1978 and 1996, the decision was made to shut off the large connecting arches between the central unit and the missing arms using large glass windows with a metal frame.
