Santuario di Santa Maria Madonna di Bonacattu

Western Sardinia


According to an edict issued by Pope Pius VII in 1821, anyone who confesses at this tiny church between 14 and 28 September will receive full plenary indulgence. The delightfully simple sanctuary is little more than a rudimentary chapel capped by a simple dome, constructed of brick and volcanic stone in the 7th century on the site of an ancient Roman bath, then modified some 800 years later. There are no official opening hours, but you’ll usually find it open.

Directly uphill from the chapel, the Romanesque Chiesa di Santa Maria di Bonacardo is a rather more imposing structure. Consecrated in 1147, it originally formed part of a medieval monastery.