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Hypogeum and village of San Salvatore di Sinis

A place of worship which nowadays is dedicated to San Salvatore, with traces dating back to the Neolithic period. The village is the site of the "Corsa degli Scalzi” (a barefoot run), one of the most heartfelt celebrations in the whole island.
San Salvatore di Sinis, a hamlet of Cabras, which is nine kilometres away, along the road that leads to the splendid beach of Is Arutas and the ancient city of Tharros, is a small village built in a site that has been sacred since the Nuragic age. The site shows traces of occupation since the Neolithic period. Its religious vocation has been apparent since ancient times. In the Nuragic period, a sacred well was dug here for the worship of water; in the Punic period, the area was dedicated to Sid, the healing god; the Romans worshipped Asclepius there; in the Christian era, the site was used for rites in honour of the Saviour. The hypogeum, partially dug into the rock, is under the church dedicated to San Salvatore, built in the 17th century and around which the village of "cumbessias" developed, lodgings for pilgrims who went to San Salvatore to make their devotional journey. From the 4th century on, the hypogeum was transformed into an early Christian sanctuary in honour of the Saviour. On the walls of all the rooms are Punic, Greek, Latin and even Arabic inscriptions, possibly dating back to attacks by Muslim marauders in the Middle Ages. In addition to the inscriptions, there are splendid early Christian frescoes, graffiti and other decorations depicting scenes of daily life from the Roman and pagan eras. The church is surrounded by sas cumbessias, small and unadorned houses built at the end of the 17th century to accommodate pilgrims during the novenas in honour of San Salvatore, between August and September. The highlight of the celebrations begins at dawn on the first Saturday in September with the Corsa degli Scalzi (barefoot run), one of the most distinctive and heartfelt traditional events in Sardinia. The procession involves over 800 curridoris (runners) in white robes, who accompany the simulacrum of the saint barefoot on a long dirt road from the church of Santa Maria Assunta di Cabras to the village. They then bring it back to the parish church the next day day. Trivia: due to the village's resemblance to American frontier landscapes, it was rented out to film producers for the production of so-called ‘spaghetti western’ films, becoming a village in Arizona or New Mexico (saloon included) in films such as 'Garter Colt’ (1968).
  • Chapel
  • Cabras
  • GRITACCESS:
    Prices :
    • Offerta libera : €
    Payment :
    • Cash
    Contact :
          • Piazza San Salvatore, s.n.c. Località San Salvatore 09072 Cabras

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