The enthralling co-cathedral of S. Antonio Abate, features an overlapping between the Gothic-Catalan style and the classic Renaissance style, and was home to the episcopal cathedral of Ampurias until 1503. The church is located in the town centre of Castelsardo in a panoramic position, with a sheer drop down to the sea.
Externally, the cathedral has a high bell tower; this was obtained directly from a tower in the antique walls, originally a lighthouse, and covered by a delicately decorated dome with polychrome majolica, which offers a pleasant contrast with the blue of the sea.
Internally, it has a single-nave, barrel-covered room with side chapels and transept. The areas are enriched with wooden furniture, Baroque altars and statues. One of the side chapels named after San Filippo Neri is worth pointing out. The Virgin’s chapel on the other hand is covered with octagonal domes with azulejos tiled walls, majolica from the Arab-Spanish culture.
Above the entrance is the beautiful eighteenth-century pipe organ with decorated altar piece. Also worth considerable attention are the wooden pulpit and carved choir stalls, created by Jaume Camilla in 1765. The crypt housing “Treasures from the old Diocese” can be found in the cathedral basement and consist of holy vestments, shrines and works of art, including compartments of altarpieces by the Artisan of Castelsardo.
