Cagliari cathedral

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the time I spent in Maracalagonis, Sardinia during Holy Week this year. I thought I’d follow up with a few pictures of Cagliari’s Cathedral, certainly one of the city’s highlights. The building is well kept up and contains a number of artistic gems. Among these are the two sides of what was once a single pulpit, which now flank the main door. These were sculpted by Guglielmo of Pisa around 1160 and later sent to Cagliari when the city was ruled by that merchant city-state.

A unique painting on the ceiling depicts the “Faith of the Sardinian People.” As Benedict XVI noted when visiting Sardinia, the island has never left the Catholic faith or succumbed to heresy. Also of note is a painting in the sacristy of St. Ephysius (Sant’Efisio), a third century Roman solider ordered to persecute Christians by the Emperor Diocletian. He was reproached in a vision from the sky, converted to Christianity, and was beheaded by the Emperor in 303. Also below, note the view from the skybox set up for the royal family to attend Mass at a distance from the commoners.