250px, Santa Giusta Cathedral Santa Giusta Cathedral, now a minor basilica ( it, Basilica di Santa Giusta) is the former cathedral of the abolished

Diocese of Santa Giusta The Diocese of Santa Giusta, formerly Othoca, was a Roman Catholic diocese in Santa Giusta, Sardinia. The bishop's seat was in the former Santa Giusta Cathedral, now a minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by ...

, in Santa Giusta, province of Oristano, Sardinia, Italy. The dedication is to

Saint Justa of Cagliari Saints Justa, Justina and Henedina (or Aenidina) of Cagliari ( sc, Justa, Justina et Enedina, it, Giusta, Giustina ed Enedina) (died 130) were Christian martyrs (possibly sisters) of Sardinia, put to death at Cagliari or possibly Sassari. Their f ...

who, according to the tradition, was martyred here at the time of the Roman emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, with her companions Saints Justina and Aenidina. Almost entirely built in sandstone, it is considered one of the most important examples of Sardinian Romanesque architecture.

History

The cathedral was erected in the early 12th century by local and

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

n workers, the latter with experience from

Pisa Cathedral Pisa Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale Metropolitana Primaziale di Santa Maria Assunta; Duomo di Pisa) is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of the th ...

. Some art historians have supposed that another church existed on the site previously, but this has not been definitely proven. In the 16th-17th centuries the south wall was demolished to allow creation of two chapels. In 1503 the Diocese of Santa Giusta was abolished and annexed to that of Oristano. In 1847 a marble enclosure was built to encircle the presbytery, while a

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

was added in 1876. In 1860 the former sail-shaped bell tower collapsed, and was replaced by a square bell tower in neo-Romanesque style, finished in 1906.

Overview

The basilica has a façade in undecorated sandstone, with three

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

corresponding to the interior's nave and two aisles. The central one has the main portal, surmounted by a triple mullioned window. The façade is topped by a tympanum also divided into three parts, the central one featuring a

lozenge Lozenge or losange may refer to: * Lozenge (shape), a type of rhombus *Throat lozenge, a tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to suppress throat ailments *Lozenge (heraldry), a diamond-shaped object that can be placed on the field of ...

. Near the pilasters flanking the portal are two old columns, leading to the hypothesis that the church once had a portico or similar structure. The side walls are divided into blind arches with Lombard bands, but have few decorations otherwise. More numerous are the features of the apse, with semi-columns supported by plinths and ending in leaf-shaped capitals, Lombard bands and six single-mullioned windows (the three lower ones lighting the church's

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

). In the interior the aisles and the nave are divided by seven columns with arcades, made of material from ancient settlements of the area. The aisles are covered by groin vaults, while the nave has trusses. The columns in the crypt are original.

Sources

* {{Authority control Churches in the province of Oristano Roman Catholic cathedrals in Italy 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Romanesque architecture in Sardinia Cathedrals in Sardinia