CHURCHES
In Dorgali and Cala Gonone

The church is located on a hill that once hosted a Nuragic settlement, with the remains of a nuraghe and village that may have lasted into Byzantine times. Since the creation of the Cedrino reservoir, the church can now only be reached by boat, as the old dirt road and original bridge are submerged.

Around the church are several ancient “cumbessias,” small stone lodgings traditionally used by pilgrims and the families of festival organizers. The interior features a three-bay nave with a roof made of cane and juniper beams. Two of the original arches were later replaced by sturdy wooden trusses.

Inside, you’ll find wax votive offerings from the 1800s—left by those healed from broken bones, at a time when untreated fractures could cause lifelong disability. On the altar stands a statue of San Pantaleo, a physician from Nicomedia (modern-day Turkey) who converted to Christianity. At the foot of the hill once flowed a karst spring, now submerged beneath the lake.

The feast of San Pantaleo is held annually on July 28, organized by a dedicated local committee. In the past, it was one of the most important rural festivals in the area, drawing hundreds of people for celebratory banquets.

The whitewashed church features sturdy buttresses and a single nave divided into three bays, with a wooden beam ceiling. In the presbytery niche stands a wooden statue of Our Lady of the Angels. Inside, a marble plaque bears the following inscription:

“Perpetual plenary indulgence granted on July 16, 1806, by His Holiness Pope Pius VII to all Christians who visit this church on August 2 and during the following octave each year and pray to Our Lady of the Angels.”

This explains the annual celebration held in the first ten days of August, typically on August 2, organized by devoted local families. The event includes a simple religious service followed by a small gathering and refreshments.

The interior of the church is also whitewashed. On the right-hand side, between two buttresses, lies a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. The church consists of a single nave with three bays, featuring a ceiling made of juniper beams and planks. In the main altar niche stands the statue of Our Lady of Valverde.

In the past, a rural festival was held here on the first Sunday of May, preceded by a nine-day novena. Revived in recent years, it is now one of the traditional “festas de pandela”. Celebrations begin on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, with a procession departing in the afternoon from the parish church of Santa Caterina. Upon arrival, a Mass is celebrated, followed by refreshments and live entertainment offered by the organizers.

The church can be reached from the Dorgali ring road; it is signposted and located about 200 meters past the rural Church of San Giovanni Crisostomo. The area is accessed through a gate and a short tree-lined path. It also features a small pine grove and traditional structures used during the festivities. Continuing along the road leads around Mount Ispinigoli and reconnects with the trail toward the countryside church of San Giovanni Su Anzu.

This saint is rarely venerated in Sardinia, and Dorgali is currently home to the island’s only church dedicated to him. In religious iconography, Saint John Chrysostom is typically depicted as a tall, slender figure with a short beard. His eloquence as a preacher earned him the title “Chrysostom,” meaning “golden-mouthed.” He authored the Divine Liturgy, the main Eucharistic celebration of the Orthodox Church, which is fully sung and lasts around two hours.

Saint John Chrysostom is commemorated in the Roman calendar on September 13, the date of his death, when a Mass is celebrated in Dorgali. In the Orthodox tradition, he is regarded as the fifth evangelist and the most important of the Church Fathers.

A highlight of the church is the polychrome wooden statue of the Holy Trinity in the presbytery: God the Father holds a crucifix upon which a dove is perched. The church was renovated in the 1970s and enriched with a large repoussé copper altarpiece created by local artisan Totorino Spanu.

In the past, the main feast day was celebrated on May 2, while a more solemn festival, preceded by a novena, took place on Pentecost Monday, and included a traditional horse race (palio). In recent years, the celebrations have been revived as part of the so-called festas de pandela, held in various rural churches around Dorgali. On the Saturday before Pentecost, a procession departs from the parish church at 6:00 PM and concludes with Mass at Su Babbu Mannu. The evening ends with refreshments and traditional music provided by the organizers.

The church lies 3.5 km from Dorgali, on the right-hand side of State Road 125, just before the junction to Galtellì at km 208.VIII.

Records from 1781 mention an endowment of 240 scudi for the upkeep of the courtyard and church building, and 93 scudi were reserved for the annual feast. The church is whitewashed and features a gabled roof, topped with a small squat bell tower. A circular window above the rectangular doorway provides the only natural light to the three-bay nave, which ends in the presbytery. The sacristy is attached to the left side and has a rectangular window.

The five lateral chapels, once managed by devoted local families, are dedicated to Saint Anastasius, Saint Barbara, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Quirico, and Saint Margaret. The wooden statue of the Virgin of the Good Journey is housed in the main altar. Around the courtyard stand several cumbessias, two of which have been restored. In earlier times, these shelters would be filled with families and pilgrims staying during the novena leading up to the festival.

Traditionally, the feast was celebrated on the last Sunday in May and again on the third Sunday in October, both preceded by a novena. Like many rural feasts, it had faded over time but was recently revived by the Municipal Department of Culture of Dorgali, in collaboration with the parish and local volunteer groups. The Saturday before the May feast, a procession sets off in the afternoon from the parish church and ends with a Mass at the rural church. The celebration concludes with refreshments and traditional music.

The church is located less than 8 km from Dorgali, on the road leading to Gorropu Gorge, Tiscali, and Oddoene. Along the way, near the village, visitors can also explore the ruins of the Church of Sant’Elene.

The church has recently been plastered and restored. It features buttresses at the corners of the façade and rear. The interior has undergone several changes from its original layout: the masonry arches and the barrel vault of the presbytery have been removed, and the roof height may have been raised. Today, it has the typical brick ceiling (from the restoration), supported by juniper beams resting on trusses—a change from the earlier plank roof.

The church was completed and consecrated on August 21, 1640, thanks to the patronage of Reverend Pietro Cardia of Dorgali and Maria Andreana Sedda.

The presbytery houses a statue of Saint John and a small figure of Saint Lawrence.

The interior floor is divided into two levels: the lower one is for the congregation, while the raised section is reserved for the clergy. Along the side walls are printed cardboard panels depicting the Stations of the Cross. The simple presbytery contains three niches: one with a statue of the Virgin Mary in the center, flanked by Saint Teresa and Saint Bachisio.

The church was built between 1735 and 1746, likely by Tuscan craftsmen. It has a cruciform floor plan with three naves, side chapels, and a transept. Over the years, additional rooms were added on both sides to serve the parish (for catechism and meetings), giving the structure a robust appearance. On the right stands a square bell tower, restored in 2021.

The dome, with its Moorish shape and octagonal base, resembles those found in several churches in nearby Orosei and is attributed by scholars to a late, autochthonous Renaissance style in Sardinia. The façade, plastered in pale pink, faces a small granite-paved churchyard with modest benches and is adorned with six white faux pilasters framing three portals. Above the central doorway is a triangular pediment, supported by four small columns and a half-moon window, dividing the façade into two levels.

Inside, the main nave features three barrel-vaulted bays and three chapels per side, while the side aisles are covered with groin vaults. The structure rests on large square piers and is decorated in soft, understated tones. At the center of the presbytery, the circular dome lets in light through three stained glass windows painted by Don Sebastiano Corrias.

Originally, the altars, steps, and floors were made of stone, but in the early 1800s, they were replaced with marble elements. The old organ, whose painted pipes once illustrated stories and miracles of saints, was also replaced. Much has been invested by the town to restore and maintain this church.

The main altar, made of inlaid marble, fills the back wall of the church. The fresco in the apse, painted by Dorgali artist Pietro Mele, depicts Saint Catherine’s martyrdom.

• The first chapel on the right houses a polychrome marble baptismal font from the 18th century, featuring a painted panel of Jesus’s baptism on the front, with Saint Catherine and an angel on the sides.

• The third chapel on the right, dedicated to Saint Peter, contains a statue within a niche and a marble plaque commemorating the 1986 reconsecration of the church.

The most striking altar is in the right transept: a majestic gilded wooden altarpiece on a green background in the Sardinian Baroque style, commissioned in 1770 by Don Sagheddu and restored in 1942. It’s a late example of Spanish-inspired wooden retables, common in northern and southern Sardinia. At the bottom center is a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, flanked by Saint Isidore and Saint Narcissus. Above is a painting of the Coronation of the Virgin, with statues of Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch on either side.

In the presbytery stands a polychrome marble balustrade and a niche containing a 17th-century statue of Saint Catherine, holding a sword, a palm of martyrdom, and a book. At the base of the steps are two white marble lions.

In the left transept, another remarkable altarpiece was built in 1957, inspired by 18th-century Sardinian models. It is gilded wood on a brown background, with a statue of the Immaculate Conception in the lower center, flanked by Saint Fabian and Saint Joseph. The upper section features a 17th-century triptych of the Holy Family, salvaged from an earlier altarpiece, with statues of Saint Cyprian (left) and Saint Cornelius (right).

The second chapel on the left contains a gilded wooden statue of Saint Anthony of Padua, also from the 18th century.

The presbytery houses an 18th-century statue of Saint Lucia. Within the adjoining Benedictine monastery, the ancient statues of Saint Cecilia and Saint Lambert of Liège (Santu Lumbertu) are still preserved.

The feast day of Saint Lucia is celebrated on December 13, and another cherished local celebration is held on Easter Tuesday.

L’interno è a una navata di tre campate (la cui volta antica è stata sostituita da una in muratura), più il presbiterio con una volta a botte ribassata, ed una piccola balaustra. Nella doppia nicchia dell’altare maggiore, le antiche statue della Madonna di Bonaria (però detta di Gonare, perché praticamente il culto di queste due madonne si accomuna) e dell’Angelo custode . (Cresia de S’Anzelu o di Gonare).

La festa viene chiamata dell’Angelo ed è quella degli angeli Raffaele, Michele e Gabriele il 29 di settembre. La vicina Via Bardia fino al 1800 era Via Badia perché raggiungeva l’antico monastero di Gonare collocato nell’isolato a monte di questa chiesa.

Edificata, probabilmente, nel ‘400 e ristrutturata nel ‘600, è stata di recente sottoposta ad alcuni nuovi importanti interventi di restauro. La chiesa è composta da un’unica navata centrale. In essa sono custoditi i simulacri di Sant’Efisio, Sant’Anna, Santu Gristos e Santo Stefano. Nell’altare maggiore, accanto alla statua della santa titolare si trova quella di S. Agostino.

La chiesa era nata inizialmente come chiesa di un convento di frati, arrivati nel quattordicesimo secolo per introdurre la cristianizzazione. Le celle dei Frati del Convento, che è stato smembrato nell’800, si trovavano nella sezione sovrastante il presbiterio della stessa chiesa, al quale si accede da una scalinata. Oggi, dopo il restauro, sono state riaperte le due uniche celle salvate dalla distruzione.

Originally built in the 15th century and restored in the 17th, the church has recently undergone significant restoration work. It features a single central nave and houses statues of Saint Efisio, Saint Anne, Christ the Redeemer (Santu Gristos), and Saint Stephen. On the main altar, next to the statue of Our Lady of Bonaria, stands a statue of Saint Augustine.

The church was initially part of a monastery complex, founded by friars who arrived in the 14th century to further Christianization. The monastic cells, located above the presbytery and accessible by a staircase, were part of the original convent, which was dismantled in the 1800s. During the recent restoration, two of the original monk cells—the only ones to survive—were reopened and are now accessible once again.

The church features a rectangular layout with a single nave divided into three bays, and a ceiling made of juniper beams and planks. On the main altar stands a terracotta statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been recently restored. A second, modern altar has been placed in front of the original one, allowing the priest to face the congregation during services.

To the right of the entrance is a small chapel dedicated to Saint Francis, containing another restored terracotta statue of the saint. From inside the church, standing at the altar and looking toward the entrance, you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the town. Religious services are held only on feast days, typically attended by a small number of parishioners.

It is believed that the presence of the Templars in the area was connected to the silver trade from the mines of Lula, and that Dorgali’s renowned silversmithing tradition originated with medieval artisans during this period. The current church was later expanded under Aragonese rule, incorporating a pre-existing structure. Evidence of this remains in the form of walled-up doors and staircases visible along the north and south walls—remnants of the original medieval architecture.

The church was rebuilt in the 17th century by Diego Mula and through offerings from the faithful. The façade is finely plastered, while the sides reveal dark basalt stonework. Inside, it has a single nave with three bays, a wood and brick ceiling, and a barrel-vaulted presbytery set slightly lower than the nave. Here stands a beautifully crafted platform supporting the ancient statue of the Assumption, depicted in splendid white robes.

To the left of the presbytery is the altar of Madonna delle Grazie, with a small barrel vault decorated in a folk-art style from the early 1900s, featuring colorful floral motifs and framed panels. The right niche houses a statue of Saint Helena (Sant’Elene Reina), and the left one, Saint Paschal (Santu Pascale). The wooden statue of Madonna delle Grazie wears draped robes painted in blue and red—both she and the infant Jesus wear large crowns.

This church is the heart of Dorgali’s most important religious festival, held on August 15, celebrating the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.