![Iglesiente](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Iglesiente.png)
The Iglesiente is a traditional and geographical subdivision of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It encompasses the northern
province of Carbonia-Iglesias The province of Carbonia-Iglesias (, ) was a province in the autonomous region of Sardinia, Italy. It included the historical area of Sulcis-Iglesiente and it was the smallest province of Sardinia. It is bordered by the provinces of Cagliari
Ca ...
and the south-western one of the
province of Medio Campidano
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
, and its main center is
Iglesias.
Languages spoken include
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
Sardinian (
Campidanesu).
History
Historically, it was inhabited since pre-
Nuragic times. Later, it became an important metallurgic district for the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, who had here a town known as ''
Metalla
Metalla was a Roman mining center located in the Iglesiente region of Sardinia entrusted to a ''procurator metallorum'' where were destined Christians and slaves condemned to forced labor. Mentioned in ancient sources, it hosted a thermal building ...
''
From this period dates the construction of the
Temple of Antas
The Temple of Antas is an ancient Carthaginian-Roman temple in the commune of Fluminimaggiore, southern Sardinia, Italy. It is located in an area colonised by the Carthaginians and then by the Romans, attracted by its silver and lead deposits.
...
at Fluminimaggiore, dedicated to the cult of the
Sardus Pater
Sardus ( grc, Σάρδος), also Sid Addir and Sardus Pater ("Sardinian Father") was the eponymous mythological hero of the Nuragic Sardinians. Sardus appears in the writings of various classical authors, like Sallust, Solinus and Pausanias.
Anc ...
.
In the Middle Ages, the
Pisans
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 ...
founded here the mining town of
Villa di Chiesa
Iglesias (, ; from ; sc, Igrèsias) is a ''comune'' and city in the province of South Sardinia, Italy. It was co-capital of the province of Carbonia-Iglesias with Carbonia, and the province's second-largest community.
Under Spanish control Igle ...
(modern Iglesias), which soon became one the largest in the island. Later it was conquered by the
Aragonese, who held it until 1720, when the
house of Savoy
The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
acquired the whole of Sardinia. During the 17th-18th century were refounded the villages of
Musei
Musei is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about west of Cagliari and about northeast of Carbonia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,493 and an area of .All demo ...
,
Gonnesa
Gonnesa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about west of Cagliari and about northwest of Carbonia, in the Iglesiente subregion.
The town was refounded in the late 18th centu ...
and
Fluminimaggiore
Fluminimaggiore (''Frùmini Majori'' or ''Flùmini Majori'' in Sardinian language) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about north of Carbonia ...
while in the 19th was founded the mining village of
Buggerru
Buggerru is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about northwest of Carbonia.
Derek Jarman's 1976 film ''Sebastiane
''Sebastiane'' is a 1976 La ...
.
Recently, the decline of the mining sector has caused a crisis of the local economy.
References
{{reflist
See also
*
Sulcis-Iglesiente
The Sulcis-Iglesiente is a historical region of southwestern Sardinia comprising, as the name suggests, the territories of Sulcis and Iglesiente. It is included in the province of South Sardinia.
In the Middle Ages the territory belonged to the Ju ...
Geography of Sardinia