Museo di Santa Barbara

About the museum

The museum is set up in the Oratorio di Nostra Signora, a building from 1600 that, on the forecourt of Santa Barbara in Villacidro, forms an unusual architectural triangle with the parish church and the Oratorio delle Anime. It was designed to showcase the spaces and sacred furnishings of the parish church and holds a heritage of statues, silverware, altars and wooden furnishings.

Alongside objects from the parish church there are documents and furnishings from other places in the town's memory: the country church of San Sisinnio, the Oratorio di Sant'Efisio and the Mercedarian convent, which stood until the early 20th century. All these objects have marked the history of Villacidro and keep its memory alive.

In the well-preserved original space of the oratory, the display shows silver works by the best-known Sardinian silversmiths, such as Cabras, Usay and Mamely, which show the evolution of liturgical furnishings from the 16th century. Among the old pieces are a Gothic-style tempietto thurible, a holy water bucket and a pax. They are followed by the Virgin of the Rosary by the sculptor Lonis, several crucifixes, including the very rare 16th-century “Crocifisso doloroso”, and 17th-century wooden statues. Other works, such as the statue of Saint Barbara by Giuseppe Zanda, can be seen in the two churches that face the museum.

Highlights

• Sacred silverware by the masters Cabras, Usay and Mamely
• Crocifisso doloroso, a rare 16th-century work
• Virgin of the Rosary by the sculptor Lonis
• Gothic-style tempietto thurible, bucket and pax from the 16th century
• Oratorio di Nostra Signora from 1600 with loggia

Permanent exhibition

• Argenti e arredi sacri – Liturgical silverware by Sardinian goldsmiths from the 16th century, wooden statues and crucifixes in the Oratorio di Nostra Signora.

Operated by

Parrocchia di Santa Barbara

Visitors per year

approx. 280

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on the forecourt of Santa Barbara, in Piazza Santa Barbara, in the centre of Villacidro.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit