The Counts of Quirra fixed in Tortolì the seat of the Captain of Justice of the Giudicato of Ogliastra and that of his subordinates: Lieutenant Captain and Court Scribe, making it the feudal administrative center of the entire Giudicato. To these duties was also added that of Headquarters of the region’s baronial prisons dating back to 1450. They are located on Cagliari Street, corner of Umberto I Street, closed and demolished in the 1940s, making way for the civic market. The presence of these jails is supposed to date back to the 17th or 18th century; they were supposedly built by a certain Salvatore Madao. An underground tunnel passed under Cagliari Street connecting the prison rooms with those of the ancient building across the street. The former Church of St. Sebastian, Sa crésia de santu Sebastianu, now deconsecrated, stands on Corso Umberto I, corner of Via Mazzini. The original purpose of the building, which one can now hardly distinguish in the remaining architecture next to it, if it were not for the two Rasene bordering its rectangular facade, has become less and less recognizable since the former church, now used as a store, has had its rose window thoughtlessly bricked up so as not to obstruct the construction of the modern metal storefront. The origins of this church have been traced back to Pisan times. Dedicated to St. Sebastian as a result of a public vow made in time of plague. In the seventeenth century it contained chapels, or perhaps simply altars or niches, dedicated to San Diego and the Virgin of Itria. We know that in the oratory, meetings of the Giudicato mayors were held.
