Museum of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonaria, Cagliari

The museum is located in the spaces adjacent to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonaria, on the homonymous hill, in a building of Aragonese origin and headquarters of the Mercedarian order, known above all for their commitment over the centuries in favor of the liberation of slaves.

The Sanctuary, on the other hand, owes its fame to the wooden statue of the Madonna that arrived on the beach in front in 1370, and to the consequent establishment of a strong cult of the Virgin as protector of sailors.

The relics collected are, for the most part, ex-votos from those who escaped shipwreck or slavery, yet there are no lack of offerings from sovereigns and people of illustrious name such as, for example, the gold crowns offered in February 1816 by Vittorio Emanuele I and Maria Teresa. Vestments, monstrances, chalices, and precious reliquaries, gifts from princes and prelates, fill the display cases. From the top of a wall gleams the large silver anchor offered by Queen Margherita of Savoy. Sabers, decorations, coins, porcelains, and even sounding devices and bombs fill the display cases.