The Franciscan monastery represents the oldest architectural structure in the town. The first part of the building, overlooking the Mughina valley, predates the 7th century. The original single-nave floor plan, with round arches over which side skylights open, has also remained.
In the 19th century, the suppression of religious orders led the building to a slow decline that saw it change its use several times: prison, hospital, theater, polling station, barracks and school. The building’s fame remains linked above all to its literary history: in this structure several personalities of Sardinian and Italian culture were initiated to education: Grazia Deledda, Sebastiano Satta, Salvatore Satta, Indro Montanelli and, as a teacher, the literary critic Attilio Momigliano.