ELMAS
Elmas has an ancient history, inextricably linked to the lagoon of Santa Gilla, overlooked for millennia by one of the town’s oldest nuclei: Giliacquas. The name, which could be interpreted as ‘The Waters of Gilla’, recalls Santa Ilia: the ancient capital of the Giudicato of Calari, located near the present-day Fangario area and which stretched with its suburban offshoots all along the lagoon coast, as far as this territory. Two kilometres from Giliacquas, taking the cycle path (now in an imminent state of redevelopment), stands the most significant monument in the municipal area: the church of St Catherine, a Victorian monastic complex in the 11th century around which formed another ancient village that has now disappeared: Semelia. Venturing instead into the historical centre of the present-day town, it is interesting to note its ancient agricultural vocation, evident in the Campidanese villas of the Suella and Asquer families. Just opposite the Asquer estate stands the parish church: San Sebastiano. Erected from the 16th century onwards and modified several times, it has seen the town’s history pass from an agricultural fiefdom to a modern urban centre of strategic importance, both for the airport it hosts and for its proximity to the capital.
