The patron saint of Quartu Sant'Elena is Empress Saint Helena, venerated in the main basilica dedicated to her, built between 1809 and 1825 on the ruins of an earlier church destroyed by fire and consecrated in 1828: with a Latin-cross plan and fully frescoed, it still preserves intact the pulpit and baptismal font that were already present in the original building.
The patronal feast is held from 11 to 16 September: besides the religious procession, the celebrations include evenings of entertainment, a grape exhibition and festival, a football tournament and a cycling race, ending with fireworks. Among the other most cherished religious occasions in the town are also the feast of Saint John the Baptist, rooted in an old tradition, and the feast of Santa Maria di Cepola, on 8 September. It was precisely in honour of the patron that, on 14 September 1826, a royal decree added her name to that of the town, which went from Quarto to Quarto Sant'Elena, taking on its current form, Quartu Sant'Elena, in 1862.
