According to legend, at the beginning of the 15th century, the wooden statue of Christ by Nicodemus turned up inside a chest on the beach of Orosei, on the central-eastern coast of the island, and was subsequently taken to Galtellì. Following this event, in the small, devout centre of lower Baronìa, precisely in Piazza Santa Croce, the new Church of Santissimo Crocifisso was constructed in Tuscan-Gothic style, built on the previous Church of Santa Maria delle Torri, which dated back to a period between the late 14th and early 15th century. Before the construction of the new monumental church, Santa Maria is said to have been the first to welcomed the statue but it was too small to accommodate the pilgrims attracted by the presence of the wooden image of Christ. An inscription on a bell in the tower, describing the invocation to Crucifix, dated 1401, confirms the building of the sanctuary.