ALGHERO, DIOCESE OF - City in north-western Sardinia, in the province of Sassari. It arose at the beginning of the 12th century and was occupied in the second half of the 14th century by the Aragonese, who expelled its inhabitants and replaced them with Catalan emigrants. The city has 16,000 inhabitants and is the seat of the homonymous diocese. The diocese had its first see at Ottana around the 10th century; in 1503 it was united with those of Castro and Bisarcio. The see, however, was transferred from Ottana,
now in ruins, to Alghero, while the diocese of Bisarcio was separated from Alghero and re-established as an independent bishopric, though with its seat at Ozieri, in 1803. The diocese is a suffragan of Sassari, and comprises within its jurisdiction 22 communes in the province of Sassari and 4 in that of Cagliari; it now has 21 parishes, 64 diocesan priests and 50,000 inhabitants, all Catholic. The cathedral, already existing in the 14th century, preserves of the ancient structure only the great door with an overhanging Gothic bell tower; also noteworthy is the parish church of Padria and the small rural church of Pisan style, dedicated to St. Lorcno, near Silanus. — See Plate LXVI.