The shrine of Bonaria, seat of the Mercedari order, responsible for the redemption of slaves, is known for the wooden simulacrum of Our Lady, which according to tradition prodigiously landed on Bonaria beach in 1370. The gifts offered by the faithful to Our Lady of Bonaria, mostly votive offerings, constitute the subject of a museum collection in the premises adjoining the shrine.
The first room contains archaeological evidence from Bonaria Hill. Frequented in pre-Nuragic times and known to the Phoenicians, the hill hosted a late-Punic and Roman necropolis. There is also a reconstruction of the history of Bonaria Castle and the Order of the B.V. Maria della Mercede, present in Sardinia since the early 1300s. In the corridor on the cloister are votive paintings mainly of a seafaring theme, dating from the 18th-19th centuries, and votive offerings donated by faithful who escaped slavery or shipwreck. Along the corridor the upper part of a barrel-vaulted rock-cut cistern used by the friars of the convent until the beginning of the last century is appreciable. The second room displays the oldest and most valuable naval models of which the sanctuary is rich (there are currently about 150). They constitute an important anthology of the history of naval art, from the age of galleys to that of the introduction of steam and the innovations adopted by more modern ships. The model ships on display in the museum are almost all of fine craftsmanship. Also visible in this same room are the mummified bodies of some members of the Alagon family, who died of the plague in 1605 and were buried adjacent to the shrine.
Finally, we find the silver anchor offered by Queen Margherita in 1899 for the successful outcome of the North Pole expedition led by her son, the Duke of Abruzzi, with the ship “Stella Polare.” The third room displays the treasury of the shrine and precious sacred furnishings offered by sovereigns and illustrious personalities. These include gold crowns donated by King Charles Emmanuel I and his consort, rich vestments offered by noblewomen, and gifts from Popes Pius XI and Paul VI.
During the 1943 bombing, the basilica suffered damage especially to the dome, which was restored after the war when the eighteenth-century factory was resumed and finished.
