The site where the sanctuary of San Lussorio stands corresponds to a necropolis area, originally pagan, of the ancient city of Forum Traiani, located on the eastern side of the Roman road “to Turre Karales”.
The identification of the place where the saint's martyrdom took place and the sanctuary dedicated to him was built is entrusted, respectively, to the inscription now walled on the S side of the Romanesque church of San Lussorio di Fordongianus and to the “Passio Sancti Luxurii”, whose author knew the crypt.
It is likely that already in the fourth century a 'memory' existed in honor of Lussorio, in an existing underground environment, probably used previously for funerary or cultural purposes. To this rectangular semi-hypogeal room, a small apse was added to O, while on the N side a square room was built, at the center of which was placed the quadrangular funerary monument, set on an earthen pit believed to be the tomb of the martyr. Around the burial of Lussorio, a U-shaped ambulatory was created through which pilgrims visited the holy place.
The late antique martyrial structure was expanded in the late Vandal Age or in the early Byzantine period, adding an environment with an apse and an altar table. In the first half of the 7th century, the plant fell into disrepair and, during the renovation phase, a new worship hall was built, to which a baptismal bath would also be pertinent, perhaps attributable to a small baptistery. It is still possible to see the remains of this Byzantine building under the floor of the Romanesque church.
The Romanesque church of San Lussorio was built in blocks of vulcanite at the beginning of the 12th century. It has a single barrel-vaulted aisle plan with an E-shaped apse of this first structure, only the N side and the apse remain today. Along the base, sculptural elements with anthropomorphic figurations are inserted.
The original roof and the S wall collapsed; the reconstruction took place between 1250-70 and it was decided to install a wooden roof to replace the previous stone roof. The façade was rebuilt in the Aragonese age: the Gothic-Catalan portal stands out.

History of excavations
The first investigations were carried out between 1899 and 1902 by Filippo Vivanet. Subsequently, the research was led by Ferruccio Barreca starting in 1969, by Carlo Tronchetti in 1980, by Raimondo Zucca in 1989, and finally by Paolo Benito Serra. Studies and insights are still in progress.

Bibliography
R. Delogu, The Architecture of the Middle Ages in Sardinia, Rome, The State Library, 1953, pp. 14-15, 56-58, 184;
R. Zucca, The Latin Inscriptions of the Martyrium of Luxurius (Forum Traiani-Sardinia), Oristano, 1988;
R. Zucca, Forum Traiani in the light of new archaeological discoveries”, in The Suburb of Cities in Sardinia: Persistences and Transformations, Proceedings of the III Conference on Late Roman and Early Medieval Archaeology in Sardinia, Taranto, 1989, pp. 125-143; R. Pumpkin,” Fordongianus (Oristano). Locality San Lussorio”, in Archaeology Bulletin, 3, 1990, pp. 141-142;
R. Coroneo, Romanesque Architecture from the Mid-Thousand to the Early '300, Nuoro, Ilisso, 1993, sheet 7;
F. Segni Pulvirenti - A. Sari, Late Gothic Architecture and Renaissance influence. Nuoro, Ilisso, 1994, sheet 5;
P.G. Spanu, Byzantine Sardinia between the 6th and 7th centuries, series “Late Antique and Medieval Mediterranean. Excavations and Research”, Oristano, S'Alvure, 1998, pp. 65-74;
R. Zucca, “Martyrium Luxurii”, in Early Christian Sardinia between Eusebius and Gregory the Great. Proceedings of the National Study Conference, Cagliari, 1999, pp. 515-523;
P.G. Spanu, Martyria Sardiniae. The sanctuaries of the Sardinian martyrs, series “Late Antique and Medieval Mediterranean. Excavations and Research”, Oristano, S'Alvure, 2000, pp. 97-114;
C. Oppo, “The sanctuary of San Lussorio at Forum Traiani. Some notes on the Byzantine church”, in City, Territory, Production and Commerce in Medieval Sardinia. Studies in honor of Letizia Pani Ermini, edited by R. Martorelli, Cagliari, AM&D, 2002, pp. 169-186; R. Coroneo-R. Serra, Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque Sardinia, Milan, Jaca Book, 2004, pp. 252-253;
R. Coroneo, Romanesque Churches of Sardinia. Tourist-cultural itineraries, Cagliari, AV, 2005, pp. 69-70.

How to get there
From the SS 131, turn at the crossroads for Simaxis and take the SS 388. The sanctuary of San Lussorio is located on a modest hill about 2 km before the town of Fordongianus.