In 1841 the municipal administration resolved to build a new hospital based on the design of engineer Carlo Berio and the direction of municipal architect Piretto. The execution of the imposing building, structured in a radial pattern with five arms, was entrusted to the firm of Giovanni Fogu from Sassari, who began work in 1843 and completed it in 1849. The hallway on the first floor, facing Rijeka Square, was built in 1928 to a design by architect Raffaele Oggiano. The central staircase leads to the Atrium of the Benefactors on whose walls are walled plaques with the names of those who contributed to the construction and development of the hospital. Through doors made by the Clemente company, one enters the Vestibule of Benefactors, in which busts and statues depicting munificent citizens are preserved. The Chapel, with a semicircular plan, is dedicated to the Most Holy Annunciation. The white marble altar was erected by priest Salvatore Sassu to the design of Don Simone Manca, Sassari’s first mayor after Unification. Through large stained glass windows, the Chapel communicated directly with the inpatient dormitories, allowing the sick to attend religious services. The monumental complex houses the University Library of Sassari, a peripheral institute of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Established in 1765 by Victor Amadeus III, it currently holds about 300,000 volumes, constituting, for all intents and purposes, the historical memory of the city. It will be possible to visit the consultation rooms on the second floor, surrounded by the building’s terraces.
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