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 Franciscans arrived in Iglesias in the early 1200s, and King James II of Aragon ordered the church rebuilt by Catalan Franciscans after 1324. This reconstruction made it a key religious center for the community.
The Retablo di San Francesco inside shows how religious art was made in the 1500s in this region. The painted figures with bright colors still dominate the altar area today.
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 seven chapels feature vaults with hanging decorative pendants, which are executed with such detail that you rarely see them so fine in other regional churches. These ornaments show the craftsmanship of the Catalan builders who constructed the building.
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