Basilica di San Gavino

The Basilica of San Gavino in Porto Torres is Sardinia's largest Romanesque church, built on the ancient cemetery hill of Turris Libisonis.

Why it matters

The basilica preserves the relics of the martyrs Gavino, Proto and Gianuario and stands within a landscape of earlier Christian churches and Roman burials. Its unusual plan, with apses at both ends and entrances on the long sides, distinguishes it from other Sardinian churches.

What to notice

Three naves are divided by arcades carried on reused granite and marble columns, many taken from Roman or Byzantine buildings. A Romanesque portal with Adam and Eve survives on the north side, while the south portal is Gothic-Catalan. The seventeenth-century crypt contains Roman sarcophagi and the martyrs' relics.

Context and history

The basilica stands on Monte Agellu, a cemetery area of Roman Turris Libisonis where earlier churches have been excavated. Written evidence for the Romanesque building appears by the late eleventh century, though its exact construction chronology remains debated. San Gavino served as the cathedral of the diocese of Torres until 1441. The martyrs' relics were rediscovered in the early seventeenth century and placed in a crypt.