Teatro dell’Arco is one of the newly acquired spaces of the National Museums of Cagliari.
The space is located in the structures belonging to the complex of San Michele, the important religious and cultural center built by the Society of Jesus on several occasions after it was decided in 1584 to transfer the Novitiate to the city of Cagliari.
The dates of construction range from 1674 to 1712. The entire complex passed into state ownership in 1848, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Kingdom of Sardinia: since this date the rooms of the Novitiate, confiscated by the State, hosted the Military Hospital. In more recent times, a successful artistic event took place in the space of Teatro dell’Arco, which is actually an addition to the nearby Medieval Torre degli Alberti. Between 1983 and 2002, in fact, it was managed under sub-letting by the Il Crogiuolo theater company, becoming a theatrical space of national resonance.
The name Teatro dell’Arco derives from the arch that passes under the Tower, built by the Pisans for the defense of the Stampace district (1293): the name was preserved, as well as the use of the space for theatrical performances and musical.