Shapes and colours of the northern romanesque tradition

Santissima Trinita di Saccargia - Codrongianos

Shapes and colours of the northern romanesque tradition

A fascinating discovery tour of the loveliest and most important Christian temples of north-western Sardinia built in the late XI and early XII centuries

Elegant proportions, majestic in size, two-toned design

A common thread runs through Romanesque-Pisan architecture and style between three lovely old basilicas in northern Sardinia, all built within few decades but with different histories: Santissima Trinità in Saccargia in the countryside around Codrongianos, Nostra Signora del Regno in Ardara and Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio in the Ozieri area.

Journey length: 34.5 km

Road travel time: 42 min

Santissima Trinità di Saccargia, Codrongianos

The beauty of the church lies in the spectacular two-tone treatment of the outer parament, a succession of alternating beige limestone and dark basalt blocks. Sardinia’s most renowned Romanesque structure has been the property of Camaldolese monks since 1112. It boasts a valuable fresco on its central apse.

Santissima Trinità di Saccargia

In the northwestern part of the Island, the most famous and spectacular medieval church on the Island deserves a visit, without haste: legend and a...

Nostra Signora del Regno, Ardara

On the eastern slope of Montesanto, the church is graced with elegant dark basalt and was the site of the swearing in of the reigning Torres clan in the era of the Giudicati, IX-XV centuries. The altar was consecrated in 1107, as attested by an inscription dating to the XIII century. The structure of the building is typically Romanesque. Worth seeing is the celebrated twelve metre high Ardara retablo, Sardinia’s largest XVI century polyptych. The cylindrical early XVII century pilasters decorated with portrayals of apostles and saints are also very interesting.

Nostra Signora del Regno

In the north-western part of Sardinia, in the province of Sassari, one of the most distinctive churches appears like a black mark on the greenery...

Sant'Antioco di Bisarcio, Ozieri

The countryside surrounding Ozieri is home to the Majestic church of Sant’Antioco di Bisarcio, built before 1090 with lava stone. The original structure burned down in the late XI century and its reconstruction dates to the first half of the XII century. Worth noting on the exterior are the lovely sculpted decorations of the ground floor arcade of the portico, topped with a cross vault ceiling, and the apse with lozenge ornaments.

Sant'Antioco di Bisarcio

To the north of the Island, in the province of Sassari, stands one of the largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia, famous for the various phases of...