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 Order of the Mercedarians, 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 landed on the beach in front in 1370, and to the consequent establishment of a strong cult of the Virgin as protector of navigators.

The relics collected are, for the most part, ex-voto offerings from those who escaped shipwreck or slavery; however, there are also offerings from sovereigns and people of illustrious name such as, for example, the gold crowns offered in February 1816 by Victor Emmanuel 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 shines the large silver anchor offered by Queen Margherita of Savoy. Sabers, decorations, coins, porcelains, and even sounding weights and bombs fill the showcases.