The Monumental Cemetery of Villacidro, designed by architect Gaetano Cima (1805-1878), begun in 1836 and inaugurated in 1842, stands in the area of “Pardu de Campsantu,” an area once called “Campu de Su Cardilloni,” or of the Asphodel, which in the ancient world was a plant associated with the cult of the dead.
The new Cemetery was built under the influence of the Napoleonic Edict of Saint-Cloud (1804), whose regulations provided for burials outside the walls due to sanitation requirements.
The Cemetery has an original rectangular plan, surrounded by walls with the main front punctuated by a gabled entrance and two side openings.
Inside, it is possible to visit the burials of Mayor Giuseppe Pinna Curreli, from whom Giuseppe Dessì drew inspiration for Angelo Uras, the protagonist of the novel Paese d’Ombre; of Giuseppe Dessì himself; of the writer Salvator Angelo Spano, the work of Villacidrese sculptor Efisio Cadoni; and of numerous other important figures in Villacidrese history.
