Chiesa di Santa Greca
Chiesa di Santa Greca
The church of Santa Greca is located on the outskirts of Decimomannu, a town known in Roman times as Ad Decimum Lapidem, an important road junction in the hinterland of Cagliari.
The title is mentioned in documents from the 14th century onwards, from which it appears that the monastery is much older, possibly already existing in the 9th century.
This shrine is a place of pilgrimage, especially during the annual feast in honour of the saint that takes place on the last Sunday in September. On this occasion, the faithful descend to the 'prison of St. Greca', a barrel-vaulted hypogeum chamber paved in earthenware, the precise date of which is unknown but believed to be ancient.
The chronology of its construction is uncertain due to a lack of documentation. The Proto-Romanesque building was largely rebuilt by 1792, sparing some original parts, particularly sections of the walls and the apse. The latter, facing south-east, follows a deep parabolic iconographic profile and overlooks the hypogeum where the saint is believed to have suffered martyrdom.
LocationDecimomannu
Province: Cagliari
Address: Santa Greca Church, Via Santa Greca, 09033 Decimomannu CA
The outer roof of the bowl, made of pre-industrial concrete, shows the extrados recessed on the impost line, a useful feature to establish comparisons with other buildings in the area. The apse is continuously connected to sections of the outer facing, which appear to have been built with reused materials. Inside, the frontal arch and the basin are not perfectly semicircular. There are also fragments of ancient plasterwork.
The masonry, both outside and inside, consists of large limestone blocks stacked in roughly regular rows. There is only one narrow single lancet window in the centre and no splay.
The contingent reason for the ex-novo reconstruction escapes us, which can be hypothesised (rather than in the ruin of the pre-existing building) in the need for a more representative monumentality; however, it is confirmed that the present church is in its form and main structures that of 1777. It should be added that, as time and our century passed, changes and embellishments were made. In front of the main entrance to the church was a lolla with octagonal columns, which was demolished in 1933. In the same year, a door with a staircase was opened to access the crypt. In the same year, the church underwent further changes, including the removal of the bell gable on the façade replaced by a new one with a square belfry. An access door was added on the long side and the crowning of the façade was modified, now completed with a triangular gable.
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