The unique magnificence of these
churches is spiritual and religious. In fact, when the churches were built, the real aim was to
acclaim the relationship with God. This can be seen from the fact that the front of the churches
always faces east, which for Christianity is the symbol of the Garden of Eden. The builders of
these churches observed this rule meticulously and every church faces eastward.
An extraordinary aspect of these buildings, is the extreme lightness of the
style.
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 S. Pietro di Sorres - Borutta |
S. Leonardo de Siete Fuentes |
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This is surprising as the only
material used was stone, and the workers were not very experienced. In fact, the judges
usually used their servants for this work and only rarely recruited skilled workers from the
continent, and those who came, were only given food and a bed in exchange for their
work.
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This explains a certain monotony
in the churches' architectural style. Despite this, the fantasy and the creativity of the master
builders can be seen in the facades of the churches. Each facade is different from the
others.
Every church has its own history that makes it special. This often attracts attention and
curiosity and leads people to want to learn more about these churches.
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In the village of Uta (20 kms
from Cagliari) is the church of Santa Maria which is a real jewel of Sardinian architecture.
It was probably the last church built by the Vittorini monks. Fortunately it was ignored for
centuries, otherwise its stones and columns would have been plundered and used to construct
other buildings as often happened. This church with its original architecture also boasts stone
decorations by Arabian stone masons. In order to visit the church it is necessary to ask the
parish priest of Uta for the keys, or to arrive in the village during the first ten days of
September, when there is the festival of Saint Maria. During this festival one can see a great
display of faith when thousands of pilgrims from all over Sardinia converge on this little
church to pray to God for his intercession or to drink the water which is said to be miraculous
and springs from a source near to the church.
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S. Maria in Uta |
S. Pietro in Zuri |
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A marvellous spectacle is offered
by the Basilica of "Santa Maria del Regno" in Ardara, in the province of Sassari. This majestic
church is built of black trackytic stones which reflect the light at sunset in a most beautiful
way. In this church there is a very valuable retablo, the biggest in the Mediterranean area.
It was painted by Giovanni Muru and it is one of the most important paintings of the
early '500s. Some months ago it was returned to this church after a restoration process
that took 26 years.
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