The basilica named after Saint Helena of Constantinople stands in a large square in the town\u2019s historical centre.<\/p>\n
The current-day building was erected between 1809<\/strong> and 1825<\/strong>, to replace<\/strong> the sixteenth-century church<\/strong> destroyed in a fire; it was shaped in Catalan-Gothic style with single nave and apse and it too had replaced a church dating back to the XII century<\/strong>. The demolition of the original layout<\/strong> in Romanesque<\/strong> style became necessary due to its dimensions which were adapted to welcome the, by then, growing population.<\/p>\n The imposing basilica follows a Latin cross layout<\/strong> with a single large barrel-vaulted hall, overlooked by three chapels on each side. Even the large, intercommunicating chapels<\/strong> are covered with barrel-vaults lavishly decorated with wall paintings. The intersection of the arms, on the other hand, is covered by an octagonal dome<\/strong>, rounded off with a lantern.<\/p>\n The gabled facade<\/strong>, with its steep vertical expansion, sits between the octagonal bell tower<\/strong> and the clock tower<\/strong>, that enhance the verticalness of the facade. This is rounded off with a triangular gable<\/strong> and articulated in two orders with jutting-out cornices.<\/p>\n Inside, we find the Baroque pulpit<\/strong> in embellished marble and the work of the Genoan craftsman, Pietro Pozzo; while in the presbytery we find the large high altar<\/strong>, extended in 1907 by the sculptor Giuseppe Sartorio<\/strong>, who added a bed foundation with angels holding a curtain.<\/p>\n The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament<\/strong>, covered by a stellar cross vault, is the only surviving part from the Gothic layout<\/strong>. A sixteenth-century wooden Crucifix<\/strong> and boards from the Sant’Elia altar piece<\/strong> painted by Antioco Mainas<\/strong> from Cagliari in the middle of the XVII century, are kept here.<\/p>\n The basilica preserves two statues<\/strong> of its patron saint: one inside a niche in the high altar, probably dating back to the Eighteenth century; the second one, on the other hand, is carried in procession and depicts Saint Helena<\/strong> wearing a green dalmatic, damask armour and cloak, while holding and pointing to a cross.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25963,"template":"","tipologia":[980],"categoria":[1023],"tematica":[1030,1033],"class_list":["post-25333","place","type-place","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tipologia-basilica-en","categoria-architectural-asset","tematica-architecture","tematica-art"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n