The site of the church has been connected with Christian worship as early as the 6th century, as testified by a
Palaeo-Christian baptismal
font housed under the church's
presbytery. The existence of the diocese of Dolia (the ancient name of Dolianova) is documented from 1089 until 1503, when it was merged into the archdiocese of Cagliari. The cathedral was erected between the 12th and the 13th centuries. The church is in
Pisan-Romanesque style with some
Gothic elements (dating to the last construction phase, in the 13th century), and was built of
sandstone. The façade, the sides, the apse and the bell tower are decorated with
pilasters and
Lombard bands featuring numerous different sculptured motifs, such as geometrical patterns, human figures and mythological animals. The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by cruciform pilasters, some of them of the Gothic polycolumn type. The sculpted capitals portray
New Testament scenes, such as the
Nativity and the
Adoration of the Magi. ==Notes and references==