Villacidro, Church of San Sisinnio

Church of San Sisinnio. Photo by RAS Press Office, from Sardegna Digital Library

The church of San Sisinnio is one of the most suggestive rural churches in the whole of Sardinia, set in the green of a grove of centuries-old olive groves on the slopes of the granite and schist complex of Monte Linas (1236 m).
The rural church of San Sisinnio was built in the first half of the 17th century, probably on the remains of an older building, thanks to the renewed zeal for the saint. In fact, Archbishop Francisco de Esquivel donated a relic of the body of Saint Sisinnio to the canon of Villacidro, following the “invention” (discovery) of the saint's remains in a Cagliari church.
The building inside consists of a single nave with a wooden roof. Outside, it is surrounded on three sides by a loggia that rests on pillars with capitals of different shapes.
In Campidano, many of the country churches, close to the villages, are surrounded by arcades to protect the faithful from the sun's rays. In addition, during the days of the annual festival, a large shelter supplement is built with branches.
The façade has a horizontal crown adorned with battlements with a square portal and a circular opening in the axis above it. The two-pronged sailing bell tower ends with a tympanum on which a metal cross is placed.
There are reports of an arson attack that, in 1921, destroyed the main wooden altar and the wooden truss roof. The building was restored as early as 1922 when Alagna was mayor and Don Ortu's pastor, as recalled by a plaque placed inside the church.

History of studies
News related to the church of San Sisinnio can be found in numerous publications on Villacidro.

Bibliography
F. Cherchi Paba, "Villacidro e Guspini", collana Quaderni Storici e Turistici di Sardegna, Cagliari, 1969;
T. K. Kirova - A. Tramontin - A. Bergamini, "Architetture della religiosità popolare nella Sardegna del XVII secolo", in Arte e cultura del '600 e del '700 in Sardegna. Atti del Convegno Nazionale, Napoli, 1984;
Dizionario Iconografico dei patroni e dei santi della Sardegna, Cagliari, 2004.

How to get
on the SS 196 at Km 22.4, coming from Villasor and passing the “S'Acquacotta” junction, the variant comes off, which, after crossing the state road and the Rio Leni, allows you to climb (5.1 km) to the town of Villacidro. From the entrance of the town, follow the signs for “Montimannu” and then, at the first fork on the left, for “San Sisinnio” (about 3 km).