Villaspeciosa, Church of San Platano

The building is in a recently paved area of respect. Favored by its insulation, although it faces a series of houses, it is slightly raised compared to the surrounding terrain. Not far away is the archaeological site of San Cromazio.
San Platano di Villaspeciosa is a Romanesque church whose main interest lies in its unusual architectural forms. In fact, it is part of the small group of Sardinian buildings with two naves, both concluded by an apse and equipped with an independent entrance.
In the absence of contemporary documentation, the church dates back to the second quarter of the 12th century on the basis of its architectural features and the tendency to reuse, in the “antiquarian” sense, of Roman marble artifacts.
The church (12 x 9 m, about 10 m high), made of sedimentary stone, has a plan of two naves divided by round arches that rest on reusable marble columns, at the top of which there are capitals.
One of these is Roman and has been reworked to adapt it to the new destination. In the corners, the remains of the original decoration (with water leaves and eggs, a scroll) are still visible, together with ornamental elements that characterize it in a Christian sense (a bread with an engraved cross and a rosette with several rounds of petals). The other is an acanthus leaved Corinthian capital.
The naves, currently with a wooden roof, originally had to end with barrel vaults, but a collapse dating back to the 15th century forced a change of system. The façade is divided into three mirrors; in the lateral ones there are two curved portals with inlaid crosses, while in the central one there is a late Roman marble plate decorated with an interlaced frame and quadrupal flowers. The decoration is completed by two ceramic basin housings and two wheels inlaid with a saw-tooth pattern, unfortunately not fully preserved. The only single-light window has a marble curtain decorated with interweaving and enriched by Clippeans inhabited by an animal and a cross. On the right side, the wall is smooth except for the two inlaid crosses carved in the marble slab and a surviving peduccio, at the top, with a small human head. The façade is concluded by a sailing bell tower with a single pointed light.

History of studies
Reported since the 19th century by Giovanni Spano, the church was also the subject of research during the 20th century, involving Dionigi Scano, Raffaello Delogu, Renata Serra, Roberto Coroneo and Alessandro Teatini in in-depth studies that clarify its archaeological, historical and artistic aspects.

Bibliography
G. Spano, “Latest Discoveries”, in Bullettino Archeologico Sardo, V, 1859, p. 184;
D. Scano, History of Art in Sardinia from the Eleventh to the Fourteenth Century, Cagliari-Sassari, Montorsi, 1907, pp. 329-330;
R. Delogu, The Architecture of the Middle Ages in Sardinia, Rome, The State Library, 1953, pp. 61-62; R. Serra, Sardinia, series “Romanesque Italy”, Milan, Jaca Book, 1989, pp. 42-48;
R. Coroneo, Romanesque Architecture From the middle of the 19th century to the early 1900s, Nuoro,
Ilisso, 1993, page 70;
R. Coroneo, “Roman marbles and Romanesque decorations in the Victorian church of San Platano in Villaspeciosa”, in Studi Sardi, XXIX, 1990-91, pp. 387-403; A. Teatini, “The Roman capitals in the church of San Platano in Villaspeciosa (CA). Architectural decoration, economy and problems of reuse in the lower Campidano”, in Studi Sardi, XXXII, 1999, pp. 171-201; R. Coroneo-R. Serra, Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque Sardinia, series “Italian artistic heritage”, Milan, Jaca Book, 2004, pp. 256-260; R. Coroneo, Romanesque Churches of Sardinia. Cultural tourist itineraries, Cagliari, AV, 2005, p. 97.

How to get there
Once you take the SS 130 to Iglesias, travel about 21 km and turn to Villaspeciosa. After crossing the town, you reach Via San Platano where the church stands.