San Francesco, Gothic-Catalan church building in Iglesias, Italy

San Francesco is a Gothic-Catalan church with a single central aisle and pointed diaphragm arches supported by pillars, topped with an exposed wooden roof. Seven raised chapels line the interior walls with cross vaults that feature hanging decorative elements and varied capital designs.

The Friars Minor reached Iglesias in the first half of the 14th century, admitted by Pope John XXII with the backing of King James II of Aragon. The present Catalan Gothic building dates from the 16th century. Under Savoy rule the religious orders were suppressed and their property taken by the state; the church stayed open for services until 1899, when a royal decree closed it and gave it to the municipality. It served as gym, barracks and bakery, escaped demolition in 1914, was restored and reopened for worship in 1928, and the Franciscans returned in 1935.

The retablo in the church is the Retablo della Vergine del Parto, painted in the 16th century by the Cagliari artist Antioco Mainas. It was taken away in the 19th century and kept in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Cagliari until a popular petition brought it back; restored in 1998, it is now displayed permanently in the first chapel on the left of the entrance, behind modern anti-theft and climate-control systems.

The church sits at Piazza San Francesco in the medieval heart of Iglesias, making it easy to reach. Visitors exploring religious architecture will find it centrally located right in the town center.

The 16th-century retablo of the Virgin of Parto by Cagliari painter Antioco Mainas was taken to the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Cagliari in the late 19th century. After a popular petition it was restored in 1998 and returned to Iglesias, first for a temporary exhibition that became permanent. It now stands in the first chapel on the left, behind modern anti-theft and climate-control systems.