Iglesias, Garden of the Church of San Salvatore

Garden of the Church of San Salvatore. Photo by Marta Cincotti, 2025, from Catalogo BBCC

The garden of the early medieval church of San Salvatore is configured as a small green space on the urban edge, located in the Serra Perdosa district, on the eastern edge of the historic center of Iglesias. The area, known locally as Su Pardu (the lawn), constitutes one of the rare survivors of undeveloped land in the contemporary peripheral fabric, maintaining the morphology and appearance of a natural lawn, historically linked to agricultural and pastoral use. The church garden preserves traces of the ancient agricultural and pastoral use of the Serra Perdosa area, integrating with the history of the early medieval building (9th-11th century) as an external space. Historical documentation indicates the area as Su Pardu, a common meadow linked to community life and the sacred function of the church, maintained in a state of naturalness and continuity with the surrounding rural landscape. Over the centuries, despite the building pressure of the peripheral urban context, the area has preserved the character of a residual open and green space, devoid of formal furniture and interventions. In recent years, the garden has been the subject of participatory enhancement actions and environmental experimentation through the project “The Gardens of Biodiversity”, promoted by local associations in collaboration with the Municipality of Iglesias. These initiatives have consolidated the function of the garden as a meeting place, environmental education and identity garrison for the community. The plant is essential and devoid of elements of furniture or formal design: there are two productive green areas, a historic orchard and an olive grove connected by a meadow area that surrounds the church building. The redevelopment project of the green area, underway in 2025, involves the introduction of new Mediterranean tree species to integrate historic trees, a play area for children near the olive grove and an area with a small amphitheater for outdoor shows. The continuity with the surrounding agrarian landscape gives the area a significant ecological and perceptive value, as a green threshold between the architectural artifact and the urban context. The area today retains a high testimonial value as a residual green space, representative of the continuity between rural and urban landscapes, and constitutes an important landscape element for the early medieval complex of San Salvatore.

Interesting aspects
The garden of San Salvatore represents a spontaneous open space integrated with the urban context, with lawn and Mediterranean vegetation that enhance the view of the early medieval church. It preserves traces of historical agricultural use, promotes biodiversity and performs an educational and identity function through participatory initiatives, constituting an element of historical, landscape and social importance.