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ORISTANO

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 278 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ORISTANO , a See also:

town and archiepiscopal see of See also:Sardinia, situated 23 ft. above See also:sea-level, about 3 M. from the eastern See also:shore of a gulf on the W. See also:coast, to which it gives its name, and 59 M. N. by W. of Cagliari by See also:rail. Pop. (1901) 7107. The town preserves some scanty remains of the walls (dating from the end of the 13th See also:century), by which it was surrounded, and two See also:gates, the Porta See also:Manna, surmounted by a lofty square See also:tower, known also as the Torre S. Cristoforo, and the Porta Marina. The houses are largely constructed of See also:sun-dried bricks, and are See also:low, so that the See also:area of the town is considerable in proportion to its See also:population. The See also:cathedral was reconstructed in 1733 in the See also:baroque See also:style, and scanty traces of the See also:original See also:building of the 12th century exist (see D. Scano in L' Arte, 1901, p. 359; 1903, p. 15) : and also in See also:Scoria dell' arte in Sardegna dal XI. al XI V. secolo, Cagliari-See also:Sassari, 1907). Some statuettes and sculptured slabs partly belonging to its See also:pulpit, perhaps the See also:work of See also:Andrea See also:Pisano, have been found; upon the See also:reverse See also:side of two of the slabs are still older reliefs of the 8th or 9th century; so that the slabs perhaps originally came from See also:Tharros.

In the See also:

sacristy is some See also:fine silverwork. The See also:church of S. See also:Francesco also See also:dates from the end of the 13th century, but has been altered. A fine statue by Nino, son of Andrea, is preserved here. Two m. See also:south of Oristano is the See also:village of S. Giusta, with a beautiful Romanesque church of the See also:Pisan See also:period dedicated to this See also:saint (D. Scano, Bollettino dell' arte, Feb. 1907, p. 8), containing several See also:antique columns. It was once an See also:independent episcopal see. The lagoons on the coast are full of See also:fish, but are a cause of See also:malaria. The environs are fertile, and a quantity of See also:garden produce is grown; while See also:good See also:wine (vernaccia) is also made, and also See also:ordinary pottery in considerable quantities, supplying most of the See also:island.

The See also:

bridge See also:crossing the See also:river Tirso, a little to the See also:north of the town, over 300 ft. See also:long, with five See also:arches, took the See also:place, in 1870, of an old one which is said to have been of See also:Roman origin. A m. south of the mouth of this river is the landing-place for See also:shipping. The large See also:orange groves of Milis See also:lie 13 M. N. of Oristano at the See also:base of See also:Monte Ferru, where they are sheltered from the See also:wind. The finest belong to the Marchese Boyl, whose See also:plantation contains some 500,000 orange and See also:lemon trees. The inhabitants of Milis manufacture See also:reed baskets and mats, which they sell throughout Sardinia. Oristano occupies the site of the Roman Othoca, the point at which the inland road and the coast road from See also:Carales to Turris Libisonis bifurcated, but otherwise an unimportant place, overshadowed by Tharros. The See also:medieval town is said to have been founded in 1070. It was the seat from the 11th century onwards of the See also:giudici (See also:judges) of Arborea, one of the four divisions of the island. Almost the last of these judges was Eleonora (1347–1403); after her See also:death Oristano became the seat of a marquisate, which was suppressed in 1478. The frontier castles of See also:Monreale and Sanluri, some 20 and 30 M. respectively to the S.S.E., were the See also:scene of much fighting between the Aragonese See also:government and the giudici and marquises of Arborea in the 14th and 15th centuries. (T.

End of Article: ORISTANO

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