In the Marina district, in Piazza Dettori, stands the monumental complex consisting of the former College of Santa Teresa and the church of the same name, currently the site of the Municipal Auditorium, built thanks to a bequest by the Cagliari knight Juan Francisco Jorgi, who, in 1611, bequeathed all his property to the Jesuit Fathers. The construction of the entire complex took at least 80 years, as evidenced by the inscription on the facade of the former church, “1691 J. FRAN.CO JORGI.” Initially used as a professed house, it was almost immediately also used as a school. The suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773 resulted in the abandonment of the house, which was given to regular priests to teach Latin Letters. In 1822 the Jesuits re-established themselves in Sardinia, and in 1834 they established residence in the Santa Teresa complex, where they opened a college of public schools, which was granted complete independence by royal ticket and was inaugurated on November 4, 1835. On that occasion the study of Greek and elementary mathematics was introduced for first-year architecture students. In 1848, following its resounding expulsion, the Society of Jesus lost all its property, which passed to the state. The College of St. Teresa became the Royal College and included elementary schools, grammar schools and the philosophy course. The Casati Law on the reorganization of secondary and university education of 1859 established there the Liceo and Ginnasio (named after Abbot Giovanni Maria Dettori, a man of letters and professor of theology), the elementary schools (later transferred to the Satta casamento in 1903) and later the Regia Scuola Tecnica. After the first half of the twentieth century, having moved the Liceo Dettori to its present location, there were the students of the Liceo Siotto-Pintor, the Manno Middle School and from 1968 to 2004 those of the Liceo Artistico. The building of the former College of Santa Teresa rises three stories, the last of which was raised in the early 1900s, with the elevation on the square traversed by sober pilasters. Extensive vaulted rooms partly dating from the original layout are preserved on the ground and second floors.
