Chiesa di Santa Maria d’Itria
Chiesa di Santa Maria d’Itria
In the municipality of Gesico, the Church of Santa Maria d'Itria represents an important testimony of Byzantine influence in Sardinia. Erected in the 13th century, the sacred building embodies the cult of the Madonna d'Itria, widely diffused on the island and rooted in the Greek-Oriental religious tradition. The façade is distinguished by its protruding pillars, known as pilasters, which serve a decorative as well as a structural function. An element of particular historical interest is the architrave, dated 1305, which emphasises the antiquity of the building. The side elevations are embellished with fine hanging arches on corbels, while the semicircular apse has an elaborate decoration with single lancet windows and hanging arches at the top, giving the whole a harmonious and refined appearance.