Chiesa di San Francesco

Oristano


The 14th-century Crocifisso di Nicodemo, considered one of Sardinia’s most precious carvings, is the highlight of this 19th-century neoclassical church designed by Cagliari architect Gaetano Cima. Also take a look at the sacristy’s 16th-century altarpiece by Pietro Cavaro.

In an earlier form, the church, which was first mentioned in the 13th century, was an important meeting place and, in 1388, it hosted the signing of a peace treaty between Eleonora of Arborea and the Aragonese King Giovanni I.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oristano attractions

1. Municipio

0.06 MILES

Oristano's town hall overlooks the elegant focal square, Piazza Eleonora d'Arborea.

2. Statue of Eleonora

0.07 MILES

Piazza Eleonora d'Arborea became the city's central square through 19th-century urban reforms. Today it is a quiet spot where you can sit beneath the…

3. Piazza Eleonora d’Arborea

0.07 MILES

Oristano’s elegant outdoor salon sits at the southern end of pedestrianised Corso Umberto I. An impressive, rectangular space, it comes to life on summer…

4. Pinacoteca Carlo Contini

0.07 MILES

Oristano's municipal art gallery has a small but interesting permanent collection of Sardinian paintings, together with rotating exhibits by local artists.

5. Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

0.08 MILES

Lording it over Oristano’s skyline, the Duomo's onion-domed bell tower is one of the few remaining elements of the original 14th-century cathedral, itself…

8. Torre di Mariano II

0.15 MILES

Little survives of the medieval walled town except for a pair of towers. This 13th-century beauty, known also as the Torre di Cristoforo, was the town’s…