Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Cagliari

San Francesco d'Assisi is a parish church in Cagliari, located on Via Piemonte in the La Vega neighborhood. The temple, erected in the second half of the 20th century and officiated by the Friars Minor Conventual who reside in the nearby convent, is dedicated to the Poor Man of Assisi, in memory of the 13th-century church of the same name in Stampace, which was demolished in the 19th century.

The present building on Via Piemonte was erected between 1957 and 1963, designed by Roman engineer Marco Piloni. The parish had already been established by the archbishop of Cagliari, Monsignor Paolo Botto, in 1952.

The building has simple and regular architectural lines. The exterior is characterized by its dark stone facing and pyramidal crowning. The tall façade features a rectangular polychrome stained-glass window in the central part, in front of which stands the bronze statue of the titular holder, depicted with his arms raised toward heaven.

Below the sculpture are three portals, which lead into the vast quadrangular hall constituting the interior of the temple. Near the entrance, a chapel opens on each side, the Baptistery chapel on the left, and the Blessed Sacrament chapel on the right. The raised presbytery was recently adapted to postconciliar liturgical needs; however, the preconciliar altar is also located there, with the tabernacle adorned by marble angels by sculptor Aroldo Bellini. By Bellini are also, in addition to the above-mentioned statue of St. Francis, the bronze Crucifix above the altar, the Stations of the Cross, also bronze, and the marble statues of St. Clare and St. Bonaventure, placed on either side of the chancel.

Also noteworthy are the mosaics, made in 1962, that adorn the interior of St. Francis, the work of Sicilian Franco d'Urso based on designs by architect Gina Baldracchini. The subjects of the mosaics are the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mary Mother of the Church, the Holy Trinity and scenes from the Life of St. Francis.