Guspini, Church of Santa Maria

Guspini, in Medio Campidano, is known for its proximity to the Gentilis forest and the basalt quarry with vertical columns, as well as for the presence of numerous archaeological sites. The church of Santa Maria is located in the upper part of the town.
The church, which dates back to the 12th century, retains only the Romanesque façade. The classroom was rebuilt in the 18th century.
According to some scholars, it belonged to the Knights of the Order of Malta, attested to Guspini in the 16th century. Another clue is given by the lintel of the side portal of the façade, decorated with an eight-pointed cross.
The building now has three naves divided by arches that are set on square-shaped pillars, a semicircular E-oriented apse and a wooden roof. The light enters the interior through single-light windows placed in the upper part of the central aisle as well as in the side aisles. In the presbyterial area, a decorated impost frame and a holy water fountain in volcanic stone are preserved, where you can see a partially legible epigraph. The church of Santa Maria di Malta also houses the wooden statue of the Sleeping Assumption.
The façade of the building is now partially compensated in its original appearance: in the center there is an eyebrow portal, surmounted by a large window and a series of arches that follow the slope. Above these are ashlars with accommodations for ceramic basins.

History of studies
The essential bibliography on Guspini and his church starts from the entry 'Guspini' by Vittorio Angius, in the 'Dictionary' of Casalis (1841), followed by the contribution of Dionigi Scano (1907) and the study of Felice Cherchi Paba in 1969. The fact sheet included in Roberto Coroneo's volume on Romanesque architecture in Sardinia dates back to 1993, which, however, reflects the situation before the restorations, carried out in 1997. Subsequently, a monograph entitled “Santa Maria in Guspini” was published, with an updated description of the monument.

Bibliography by
V. Angius, “Guspini”, in G. Casalis, Historical and Statistical-Commercial Geographical Dictionary of the States of His Excellency the King of Sardinia, VIII, Turin, G. Maspero, 1841, pp. 299-308;
D. Scano, History of art in Sardinia from the eleventh to the fourteenth century, Cagliari-Sassari, Montorsi, 1907, p. 326;
F. Cherchi Paba, Villacidro and Guspini, Sassari, G. Fossataro, 1969; R. Coroneo, Romanesque architecture from the mid-1900s to the early 1900s, “History of Art in Sardinia”, Nuoro, Ilisso, 1993, sch. 166;
Santa Maria in Guspini, Oristano, S'Alvure, 1999;
R. Coroneo, Romanesque Churches of Sardinia. Tourist-cultural itineraries, Cagliari, AV, 2005, p. 83.