The building dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat is located within the park of the same name on the outskirts of the city. Founded as a country church, in recent years the church has been salvaged by a restoration that affected the fresco in the chapel and brought back the building’s characteristic pink color. The municipal administration granted the use of the church to the Gremio dei Sarti, which has as its patron saint the Madonna of Montserrat, an ancient Spanish-derived cult brought to Sardinia during Aragonese rule and of which numerous testimonies remain in the island’s toponymy. The gremio proceeded to furnish the church, commissioning a wooden altar and lectern from Sassari artisan Gavino Ciarula, who made the works drawing inspiration from the Sarti candlestick. The entire work benefited from the artistic advice of Dr. Francesco Ledda, who oversaw its design and implementation stages. On display in the church is an icon made by artist Salvatore Sechi, known as “De Gonare,” which depicts the Virgin, a perfect reproduction of the statue that is venerated in the shrine attached to the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat, a locality about 70 kilometers from Barcelona.
