Stella Maris, the story of Porto Cervo’s church

Everything you need to know about the masterpiece designed by Busiri Vici in the 1960s

A small church seems to watch over Porto Cervo. It is Stella Maris, the star of the sea, a true masterpiece of architecture that welcomes yachts entering the Gulf.

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Stella Maris (ph. Dario Garofalo)

The Stella Maris church is one of the symbols of Porto Cervo, with its white, sinuous lines and its iron cross rising above the bell tower. It was designed by Michele Busiri Vici, one of the four architects commissioned to build one of the world's most exclusive destinations, and its construction began in 1965, on land donated to the local Christian community by Prince Karim Aga Khan, religious leader of the Ishmaelite Muslims. This gesture of great ecumenical and interreligious dialogue testifies to the prince's great cosmopolitan vision, underscoring his unbreakable bond with the area. The foundation stone was laid in 1965, and the church was inaugurated in 1968 in the presence of the bishop of the Diocese of Tempio-Ampurias, Monsignor Giovanni Melis, and the first is parish priest, Don Raimondo Fresi

The structure is a small masterpiece of modern sacred architecture, characterized by its soft, all-white lines in perfect emerald style. From the high ground on which it dominates the Marina of Porto Cervo, its curvilinear forms make it an integral part of the surrounding landscape, in a harmonious movement of shapes and colors. An expression of understated style, Stella Maris pays homage to the Mediterranean with its whiteness punctuated only by the beams and simple furnishings of dark juniper.

Stella Maris

Within its curved walls, as welcoming as an embrace, the church houses works by arist Luciano Miguzzi, one of the most renowned sculptors on the Italian scene, author of the marvelous bronze entrance portals. Also inside are other works such as the famous Mater Dolorosa by El Greco, one of the most important painters of the European Renaissance, donated by the Belgian ambassador. Outside, in addition to the bell tower, there are works by Pinuccio Sciola, a famous Sardinian sculptor.

The church is loved by believers and visitors of other faiths for the sense of peace and serenity it instills, and it celebrates its feast on August 28, when the simulacrum of Mary is escorted in procession by boats. Stella Maris continues to watch over the inhabitants even in the winter months, when the lively fusion of tourists and villagers is lacking.

Advent Calendar 2024 at Stella Maris Church

• Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6:45 p.m. at the oratory with the Advent Catechesis for Adults. The theme of the meeting will be From the Trinity to the Incarnation.

• From Dec. 16 to 24, every evening at 6 p.m., preceded by the 5:30 p.m. Mass, is the Holy Christmas Novena, a time of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Nativity.

• Christmas Novena on Wednesday, Dec. 18, featuring the Missionary Daughters of Jesus Crucified.

• On Sunday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m., the Telti Gospel Choir holds an exciting Christmas Concert.

• Christmas Eve is preceded by Holy Confessions, held on Dec. 21, 22, 23 and 24.

A calendar full of events that accompanies the faithful on a path of spiritual and communal preparation toward Christmas.