Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, originally built in 1580, was completely rebuilt in the 1950s in a Pisan Romanesque style due to the damages sustained during the Second World War, in 1943. The church has a single nave with side chapels, it has a barrel vault surmounted by a dome and is decorated with stupendous mosaics: the one that decorates the apse (made by the artist Aligi Sassu) is enormous and beautiful and it represents the story of Carmel, with the imposing figure of the Prophet Elijah in the centre. The main altar is in marble, the bell tower is surmounted by a bronze statue of the Madonna and in the central chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, a beautiful wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, which dates back to the eleventh century, is still visible. According to the legend, this statue was taken from Mount Carmel in Rome and donated to a member of the Ripoli family from Neoneli. On his journey to Cagliari, this member of the Ripoli family survived a terrible storm and he decided to build a chapel in honor of the Madonna as a way of saying thanks to the Virgin for saving his life. In centre of Piazza del Carmine, the main square near the church, there is an imposing statue of the Madonna of Mount Carmel, whose feast is celebrated on July 16th.