Torre di San Pancrazio (Tower of San Pancrazio), Cagliari

Torre di San Pancrazio (Tower of San Pancrazio), Cagliari

The tower of San Pancrazio, built during the Pisan domination (1258-1326), is the tallest tower in Cagliari. The building, one of the symbols of the city (so much so that the turrets in the civic palace in Via Roma were inspired by the two Pisan towers), is located at the highest point of Castello, next to the Palazzo delle Seziate, and can be reached from the Piazza Indipendenza, from Viale Buoncammino via Porta Cristina, and from Via Ubaldo Badas via Porta di San Pancrazio. The visit to the monument allows you to admire vast panoramas of the city and the surrounding area. Like the twin Elephant Tower, it is made of Pietra Forte, a white limestone extracted from the Bonaria hill. On the three closed sides, which are 3 meters thick, it has various very thin slits. The fourth side, like most Pisan towers, faces the interior of the Castle, and shows the galleries located on the four floors of the tower.

The tower of San Pancrazio was designed by the architect Giovanni Capula at the beginning of the 14th century and completed in 1305. It was built, together with the twin tower of the Elephant, by the Pisans who dominated the city of Cagliari from the mid-13th century, to defend the accesses to the Castle, seat of the political, military and religious power of the city. After the arrival of the Aragonese, who conquered Sardinia between 1323 and 1327, the south side of the tower was closed to exploit the internal spaces as warehouses and homes for Spanish officials. At the beginning of the 16th century, the construction of the Dusay Bastion, located in front of the access portal, meant that the tower lost its function as the main access to the Castle and was therefore transformed into a prison, active until the end of the 19th century. In 1903 it underwent a complete restoration, which brought it back to its original condition from the Pisan era. It reaches a maximum height of 37 meters, divided into four floors on wooden mezzanines. The terrace, 130 meters above sea level, is the highest point in the city, and was therefore used by the Piedmontese general Alberto Della Marmora as a zero point to draw the geographical map of Sardinia in the 19th century. The structure has 8 slits arranged on the north side which allowed control of the access road to the Castle. On the top there was a wooden balcony, of which only the 35 stone corbels on which it rested remain. On the outside of the walls you can see various groups of coats of arms with the insignia of the Pisan castellans. It was closed by three doors and two shutters, made of wood covered with iron, all of which have been lost. The name of the tower probably derives from the ancient name of the current Church of San Lorenzo, in viale Buoncammino, dedicated in the Pisan era to San Pancrazio.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, considered them among the best military works ever built in Europe. Born to defend the fortified Pisan citadel from the Aragonese aims, you will see them stand out in their majesty, as symbols of the Castello district and the capital of Sardinia. The two towers of San Pancrazio and dell'Elefante were built respectively in 1305 and 1307, on behalf of Pisa, by the Cagliaritan architect Giovanni Capula. 'Castello', in fact, was the center of political, military and religious power of Cagliari at the time of Pisan domination, and needed an adequate defensive system. The towers, built using large limestone blocks obtained from the Bonaria hill, both develop on four levels, with an open side on which you will notice the various wooden mezzanines. ***PH***

Torre di San Pancrazio (Tower of San Pancrazio) on Map

1
30 m
100 ft
Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors
Sight Name: Torre di San Pancrazio (Tower of San Pancrazio)
Sight Location: Cagliari, Italy (See walking tours in Cagliari)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark