High Middle Ages

Cagliari, a glimpse of the Basilica of San Saturnino. Photo by Davide Cassanello, 2015, from Catalogo BBCC RAS

The architectural heritage of Byzantine and Vandal Sardinia is not abundant, but it is still significant for a very important period in the history of the island. The military structures, which have mostly been destroyed, are still little known. Instead, there are churches, with both longitudinal and central plans, and baptisteries, whose construction can be located between the 5th and the first half of the 11th century.

Bonarcado, sanctuary of Our Lady of Bonacattu. Photo by Egle Picozzi, 2009, from Sardegna DL

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Churches and fortifications of Byzantine Sardinia

In the absence of documentary sources, it can be assumed that Sardinia has only partially shared the profound political, social and economic crisis, which the Roman Empire was facing starting from the 3rd century AD.

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Cagliari, funerary mausoleum under the church of San Lucifero. Photo by Davide Cassanello, 2015, from Catalogo BBCC RAS

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Late Antique Architecture

Archaeological excavations in various areas of coastal cities characterized by a long urban history have brought to light churches with a longitudinal structure and baptisteries, which do not seem to have existed before...

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Siligo, church of Santa Maria di Mesumundu. Photo by Marco Ceraglia, 2009, from Digital Resources Sardegna IDV

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Byzantine architecture

Within the religious architecture of Byzantine Sardinia, three main groups of buildings are distinguished. The first includes three large churches with a domed cruciform plan, built between the 6th and 7th centuries: San...

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San Giovanni di Sinis, outside of the church. Photo by Habibi Minelli Sam, 2009, from Sardegna DL

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Saint John of Sinis

To testify to the great vitality of Justinian architecture and at the same time to the variety of possible derivatives from Constantinopolitan models, there are also the differences between the three major cruciform dome...

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Castro Castle

Abbot Vittorio Angius in 1841 describes at the entrance of Sant'Antioco, a short distance from the Roman bridge, the ruins of a fortress that no longer exist today: Castello Castro, destroyed at the end of the century to...

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Cagliari or Calaris is the main and residential state of the Vice Konigs in Sardinia. From Sardegna DigitalLibrary

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The late-antique fortifications

Between the middle of the 5th and the middle of the 6th century, Africa and Sardinia were closely and again involved in a common history. In the 5th century, the Vandals, coming from Spain, crossed the Strait of Gibralta...

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Sant'Antioco, Catacombs. From Digital Resources Sardegna, MM

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The catacombs of Sant'Antioco

In the collective imagination, the first centuries of Christianity are often connected with a specific place: the catacombs. It has long been believed that these underground spaces were chosen by the first Christians to...

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