Construction work on the Serramanna Cemetery began in the second half of the 19th Century and lasted until 1898. It was built to the east of the old town, in the locality of “Sa Roja” (a term that in the Sardinian language means “low and watery site,” “marshy valley”) on land previously owned by the Convent of the Dominican Fathers and acquired by the municipality in 1859 following the Royal Decree that ordered the suppression of Religious Orders and the confiscation of their property. The engineer Enrico Pani was responsible for its first construction, while the engineer Ernesto Ravot was in charge of the extension works, which became necessary at the beginning of the 20th century. It was during these years, therefore, that, in compliance with a provincial circular of 1850 forbidding burials within built-up areas, the old cemetery in the center of the town (Su Gimitoriu), adjacent to the church of St. Leonard and the now defunct Oratory of the Souls in Purgatory, ceased to be used. Of particular architectural merit turns out to be the chapel: it was built at the end of the 19th century by Engineer Enrico Pani, who was inspired by the Neoclassical style that was widespread at that time and whose major Sardinian exponent was the famous Gaetano Cima. The building, raised from the ground by several steps, has a pronaos on the facade with four pillars with architraves on which rests a classical pediment; the roof, domed with an octagonal base, is externally covered with tiles arranged in scales. Inside, the original baked-brick floor of different color tones, typical of firing in wood-fired kilns, and the gold-lacquered wooden candelabras that decorate the graceful marble altar decorated with gilded florals deserve special attention; on the right wall is a wooden panel framing enameled iron plaques containing the names of Serramannese who fell in the Great War and were buried far from their home country. The crypt below, built at the same time and with identical dimensions as the chapel, serves as an ossuary.
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