The Basilica of Saccargia stands proud and solemn in the centre of a peaceful valley in north-western Sardinia, visible from afar1. This inland area preserves a harmony that soothes the soul. Here nature seems to obey an order that descends from the divine. The church stands out with its slender profile alternating between two colours, torn between the blue of the sky and the green of the plain. The Basilica of the Holy Trinity of Saccargia was built in the 12th century alongside an austere Camaldolese monastic complex, the first in Sardinia. Its elegant architectural features, designed by skilled craftsmen based on Pisan-Pistoia Romanesque models, have been well preserved. A precious cycle of frescoes in the apse, a rare surviving example of medieval Sardinian painting, can still be seen in all its beauty.
The foundation of the Basilica of Saccargia
The earliest record of a monastery in Saccargia dates back to 1112. In that year the Archbishop Azo of Torres granted economic and jurisdictional privileges to the Camaldolese monks residing there. The document states that the church was founded and built, fundata et constructa, by the Turritan judge Constantine I de Lacon Gunale and his wife Marcusa, who then donated it to the friars. This manuscript, which has come down to us in a late copy dating from the end of the 12th century2, reveals that Vitale was the abbot at that time.
The Libellus Judicum Turritanorum, of which we have a faithful copy from the 18th century3, also attests to the foundation by Constantine of Torres (1112-1127). According to the document, the judge and his wife had lost all their children, so they asked God for the grace of having an heir. They made a vow before the relics of the Turritan martyrs Proto, Gavino and Gianuario to build a monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity if their wish had come true. Then, the Libellus reports that the sovereigns were able to fulfill their promise on November 5, 1116 – was born Gonario – probably the date of the consecration of the Basilica of Saccargia. The Condague de sa Abbadia de sa SS. Trinidade de Saccargia, printed in 1660 at the behest of Abbot Paolo Caita as a compendium of the Abbey’s history4, also attests the same year.
The first Camaldolese monastery in Sardinia
Constantine of Torres established the monastery of Saccargia in response to a specific request from the popes of Rome. In fact, in 1073 Gregory VII had sent a letter to the Sardinian judges demanding “due devotion and obedience”. This was to be achieved by donating land to the Church so that monasteries could arise for the faithful. Gregory VII’s words had a clear political intent. He wanted to reduce the judicial power in favour of greater territorial control by the papacy over the Island. Moreover, two years later he promulgated the famous Dictatus Papae, in which he asserted the pope’s supremacy over all temporal authority.
Constantine I de Lacon Gunale agreed to the request, perhaps with a view to improving relations with the papacy. So, he donated the Saccargia complex to the Camaldolese, who settled in the area5. The judge maintained close relations with the monks of Saccargia. Upon his death, they buried him near the high altar of the church, as documented in the Libellum.
The Basilica of Saccargia and Pisan Romanesque architecture in Sardinia
The Basilica of Saccargia was almost completely rebuilt at the end of the 12th century. Little remains of the original building founded by Constantine I. However, when it was renovated, the Romanesque master builders retained the tau cross plan with a single nave, which was customary for monastic buildings of the time6. The transept ends in three semicircular apses. The central apse is wider and higher and has double-splayed single-lancet windows. The church has a wooden truss roof, except for the transept arms, which have cross vaults. The façade, preceded by a portico, is a fine example of Pisan Romanesque architecture in Sardinia. It inherits its decorations and volumes from this style, as seen in the alternating rows of limestone and basalt blocks7. The craftsmen who worked on the basilica in its current form in the second half of the 12th century came in fact from Pisa and Pistoia.
The façade and portico
Slender frames divided the façade into three horizontal sections. The upper orders feature false loggias with five small arches. They open up through a cruciform window at the top and a mullioned window on the middle level. The latter replaced the original rose window in the early 20th century. Geometric inlays of wheels, lozenges and Moorish-inspired ceramic basins embellish the whole façade. The frames of the central archivolts feature ovule motifs.
The lower order has a portico leading to the basilica’s sole portal. It was built on Lombard models, such as the atrium of the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan8. Consisting of seven round arches resting on columns with carved capitals, it has a gabled roof and a cross-vaulted ceiling. The sculptural motifs still preserved on the archivolts host animals from the Romanesque bestiary and masks.
Some cattle carved on a portico capital recall the popular legend about the Abbey’s foundation. According to the story, a spotted cow (sa acca argia) would crouch in this spot as if in worship. This was taken as a sign that God wanted a church to be built here9. Hence the name in Logudorese Sardinian sa acca argia – s’acca argia – saccargia. While this is a legend, it cannot be ruled out that the basilica’s name derives from the medieval Latin vaccaria, meaning “cow pasture”, as the valley was used for this purpose in the past10.
The bell tower and cloister
The slender, quadrangular bell tower, dating back to the end of the 12th century, stands on the northern side. It has the same colour alternation as the basilica. The tower shows three sections, with each side featuring, from top to bottom, three, two and one light windows respectively. Just below the sloping roof, the sides of the church feature a series of arches with corbels. They allow light to penetrate the interior through single-light windows with double splay. We can see to the south the remains of ancient monastic buildings. Among these are the two-coloured arches that were originally part of the cloister11.
The church hall
The interior of the church is austere and soberly decorated. Near the entrance on the right are two original columns from the portico, moved during the restoration work carried out by Dionigi Scano at the end of the 19th century. Also moved during this work was a capital carved with four winged beasts12. Furthermore, to the left stands a marble head traditionally recognised as Constantine I, the founder of the abbey.
The apse frescoes of the Basilica of Saccargia
The apse frescoes are of great artistic value and can be traced back to the Umbrian and Lazio schools of painting from the second half of the 12th century13. These artists probably created them between 1180 and 1200, during the basilica’s architectural expansion. Depicting scenes from the New Testament, the paintings are a rare example of Romanesque mural painting in Sardinia.
An image of Christ in a mandorla dominates the apse basin. He sits on a rainbow, surrounded by angels, archangels and seraphim with six wings. This is the iconography of the Maiestas Domini: the Saviour, crowned with a cruciform nimbus, makes the sign of blessing with his right hand, while holding the book of the Holy Scriptures in his left. The open page contains the passage from Revelation “Ego sum Alpha et Ω et Novissimus, initium et finis“, meaning “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”14.
The central register, enclosed by geometric frames, depicts the apostles, Saint Paul and the Virgin Mary, portrayed in full length. The lower level of the composition has six panels depicting the Last Supper, the Arrest of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Deposition in the tomb, the Descent into hell and a scene in which the founder Constantine I kneels to receive the blessing of Saint Benedict.
Style and iconography of the frescoes
The division into panels imitates the illustrations found in illuminated manuscripts from this period. It can also be seen in the painted crosses of the Pisa school15. The unnatural rendering of the faces is reminiscent of the Byzantine tradition, with large, prominent eyes, red cheeks and small mouths. The drapery of the garments falls straight, concealing the anatomy of the bodies and giving the subjects a rigid, solemn appearance.
The Passion panels are arranged symmetrically on either side of the cross, on which lies a Christus Patiens. This iconographic theme spread throughout Italy at the beginning of the 13th century. To the left of the Crucifixion are scenes from Christ’s life, while to the right are scenes that follow his death. From the Descent into hell, the Messiah reappears in glory on the apse basin: he has risen! The apostles and the Virgin Mary witness the transition from darkness to light, from the sacrifice of the cross to the rebirth that will bring salvation to humanity.
Samuele Corrente Naso
Note
- Today it belongs to the municipality of Codrongianus. ↩︎
- G. Zanetti, I camaldolesi in Sardegna, Cagliari, 1974. ↩︎
- Libellus Judicum Turritanorum, second half of the 13th century, known from an anonymous copy from the 18th century kept in the State Archives of Turin. ↩︎
- P. Tola, Codex Diplomaticus Sardinia, in Historia Patriae Monumenta, Torino 1861-1868, Tomi X-XII, reprinted by Carlo Delfino Editore, Sassari, 1984. ↩︎
- G. G. Ortu, La Sardegna dei Giudici, Edizioni il Maestrale, Nuoro, 2005. ↩︎
- R. Delogu, L ‘Architettura del Medioevo in Sardegna, ristampa anastatica, Sassari, 1988, La Libreria dello Stato, Roma, 1953. ↩︎
- R. Coroneo, Chiese romaniche della Sardegna. Itinerari turistico-culturali, Edizioni AV, Cagliari, 2005. ↩︎
- Ibidem note 5. ↩︎
- F. Fiori Arrica, Antico monastero e chiesa di Saccargia, in Bullettino archeologico sardo, 3, 1857. ↩︎
- G. Strinna, Ierofanie. Saccargia e la topica delle leggende di fondazione delle chiese sarde, in I 900 anni della basilica della SS. Trinità di Saccargia, Atti del convegno (Codrongianos, 15 dicembre 2012), 2014. ↩︎
- R. Serra, La Sardegna, in Italia romanica, Jaca Book, MIlano, 1989. ↩︎
- Ibidem note 5. ↩︎
- R. Serra, La pittura medievale in Sardegna, in C. Bertelli, La pittura in Italia. L’altomedioevo, Mondaori Electa, Milano, 1994. ↩︎
- Book of Revelation 22:13. ↩︎
- S. Sedda, Per una rilettura degli affreschi di Saccargia: analisi delle fonti e nuovi confronti iconografici, in Biblioteca Francescana Sarda, 2002. ↩︎
