The original nucleus of the patrimony of the National Picture Gallery was formed following two events: the first was the law on the suppression of ecclesiastical orders (Royal Decree No. 3036 of 7 July 1866) which authorized the removal of the most significant works and furnishings by of the state; the second was the destruction in 1875 of the church of San Francesco, which stood in the historic quarter of Stampace in Cagliari.
On November 1, 1871, lightning struck the bell tower of San Francesco causing serious damage to the structure. Unfortunately, the projects carried out for the recovery of the structure were not implemented and the dramatic decision to demolish it was reached in 1875. The destruction of the Church brought a large number of altarpieces and other paintings of great value to the Pinacoteca.
All the collected material was housed in Palazzo Belgrano, in the current Via Università, and in 1889 it was taken over by Filippo Vivanet, Commissioner of the Museums and Excavations of Antiquities, and inventoried by Vincenzo Crespi, Curator of the Museum.
The pictorial collection together with the archaeological finds that made up the first “Museum of Antiquities” was moved to Palazzo Vivanet in via Roma. The exhibition space was immediately insufficient with respect to the quantity and variety of the preserved material. Following the need to find a location for the finds, a new museum was designed by Dionigi Scano in the space previously occupied by the Royal Mint.
In 1904 the Royal Archaeological Museum was inaugurated in Piazza Indipendenza.
The historical-artistic and ethnographic collections were exhibited in the rooms of the Palazzo delle Seziate, the adjacent building to the Museum.
In 1955, in the area of the former Royal Arsenal, heavily damaged by the bombing of the Second World War, work began on the creation of the Citadel of Museums: a cultural center that would house the University and other cultural institutions. The works, followed by the architects Libero Cecchini and Pietro Gazzola, have enhanced what remains of the ancient fortifications and military buildings of the Royal Arsenal, transforming the area into a place of exhibition and use, which also houses the Archaeological Museum and the National Gallery starting from the 90s.
After a series of adaptation and set-up works, the National Picture Gallery was opened to the public on 1 July 1992.
