It stands with imposing darkness at the entrance to Ardara, a village in the Lugodoro region, perched on the slopes of Montesanto. The basilica of Nostra Signora del Regno is located near the ruins of a royal palace, a contemporary building that was once the place in which the Giudici (judges) of Torres resided. The Giudici would take oaths at the church altar and it was here that they were buried. It overlooks the plain below from high up on a hillock: its secluded and dominant position adds to the charm of this building made of jet-black ashlars of 'ferrous' trachyte. It was originally just a chapel: Giudice Comita (or perhaps his sister) was responsible for enlarging it in the second half of the 11th century. The expansion of the church was terminated by Pisan workers in 1107, as can be seen on a consecration inscription on the altar. An extraordinary monument was built and it is one of the most important pertaining to Romanesque architecture in Sardinia, characterized by simplicity and grandeur. It will strike you with the contrast between its black basalt stone and the gold sixteenth-century altarpiece.