Alghero

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Comune di Alghero
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Sardinia
Province	Sassari (SS)
Mayor	Marco Tedde (since June 10, 2002)
Elevation	7 m
Area	224.43 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	40,257
- Density	171.12/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	40°33′N, 08°19′E
Gentilic	Algheresi
Dialing code	079
Postal code	07041
Frazioni	Sant'Agostino, Il Carmine, La Pivarada, Fertilia, Santa Maria La Palma, Porto Conte
Patron	St. Michael
- Day	September 29
Website: www.comune.alghero.ss.it

Alghero (L'Alguer in Catalan and S'Alighèra in Sardinian), is a town of about 42,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century) in Italy. It lies in the province of Sassari in north-western Sardinia.

Contents 1 History 2 Ecclesiastical History 3 Language 4 Main sights 5 See also 6 Image gallery 7 Sources and external links

[edit] History

The area of today's Alghero was settled since pre-historical times. The so-called Ozieri culture was present here in the 4th millennium BCE while the nuraghe civilization was present from around 1500 BC for, and traces of Phoenician buildings have been found not far from the city.

Alghero was founded around 1102 by the Genoese Doria family, as a fortified port. The Doria ruled it for centuries, apart from a brief period under the rule of Pisa (1283-1284). In 1353 it was captured by the Crown of Aragon, and could later grow thanks to the arrival of Catalan colonists: in the early 16th century Alghero received the status of King's City (ciutat de l'Alguer) and developed economically.

The Catalano-Aragonese were followed by Habsburg Spain, whose dominion, ended in 1702, brought some decadence to the city. In 1720 Alghero and Sardinia were handed over to Piedmont. Around 1750 a wide channel was excavated to improve the defensive stand of the peninsula. In 1821 famine led to a revolt of the population, which was bloodily suppressed. At the end of the same century Alghero was de-militarized and, during the Fascist era, part of the surrounding marshes was reclaimed and the suburbs of Fertilia and S.M. La Palma were founded, although the presence of malaria in the countryside could be overcome only in the 1950s. During World War II (1943) Alghero was bombed, its historical center suffering heavy damage.

After the end of the war Alghero became a popular tourist resort.

[edit] Ecclesiastical History

The diocese comprises twenty-two communes in the province of Sassari and four in that of Cagliari, and is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Sassari. In 1106 John, Bishop of Alghero, assisted at the consecration of the Church of the Trinity in Saccargia. After a long period of decadence, the see was renewed and confirmed by Julius II in his Papal Bull of 1503. Pietro Parens, a Genoese, became bishop.

[edit] Language

A minority of people in Alghero speak a Catalan dialect from when Catalan invaders repopulated the town after expelling the autochthonous Sardinian population in 1372. Catalan was replaced as the official language by Spanish in the seventeenth century, then by Italian. The most recent linguistic research conducted showed that 22.4% of the population speak Algherese Catalan as a first language and around 90% have some understanding of the language.

[edit] Main sights

• Palazzo Carcassona.
• The Cathedral of St. Mary. Begun in 1570, it was opened in 1593 but finished and consecrated only in 1730. The church original was is in Catalan-Gothic style, as it can be seen in the five chapels of the presbytery, which also include the base of the bell tower. The nave and the two aisles are instead in Late Renaissance style. In the 20th century a Neo-Classicist narthex was added to the façade, changing abruptly its appearance.
• The church of St. Francis (1360, rebuilt in the late 16th century). Original Catalan-Gothic parts can be seen over the high altar, the presbytery chapels and the SS. Sacramento Chapel. The bell tower is from the first half of the 16th century.
• The church of St. Michael.
• The Madonna del Santo Rosario.
• The Torre del Portal, built at the expenses the Jewish Community of Alghero in 1360, and the Tower dell'Esperò Reial (16th century).
• Palazzo D'Albis (16th century), a typical example of Catalan-Aragonese architecture of the 16th century. In the October 1541 it housed the Emperor Charles V.

Some 100 Nuraghe remains can be seen in the neighbouring areas of Sant'Imbenia (including also a Phoenician necropolis and Roman remains near the airport of Alghero), Palmavera and Anghelu Ruju.

[edit] See also

• Fertilia Airport
• History of Sardinia

[edit] Image gallery

View	View	Cathedral	Harbour
Old town street	Piazza civica	San Giacomo Tower	Maddalena Tower
Sperone Tower	Lighthouse	Capo Caccia	Old city wall and new sea wall

[edit] Sources and external links

• City of Alghero Official website
• Linguistic data from Generalitat de Catalunya
• Faculty of Architecture of Alghero

v • d • e Catalan-speaking regions
Catalan as the only official language	Andorra
Catalan as co-official language	Balearic Islands · Catalonia · L'Alguer · Valencia (as Valencian)
Spoken without official status	Carxe · La Franja · Northern Catalonia