Basilica of San Gavino

The Basilica of San Gavino in Porto Torres, dates from the 11th century and is a former cathedral in the early Tuscan style. It is located in the province of Sassari in Sardinia. The Holy Gavinus is one of the " patron saint " of the island. According to him, the Sardinians call his death month of October, the Santu Gavinu.

While the hegemony of Victorines in giudicato Cagliari led to the solidification of the art world, took the giudicato Torres participated in the development of Romanesque architecture on the Italian mainland. So one of the most important buildings of the early Tuscan architecture was built in Porto Torres.

San Gavino or Santu Bainzu ' s portu how the Sardinians call the basilica at the port, is today the largest, best preserved and most important Pisan church from the time before the builder Busketos ( Buscheto ) and Rainaldo with the construction of the cathedral of Pisa those colorful style dominated, which is commonly understood by " Pisan ". The origins of the building date back to the mid-11th century, when San Gavino is already documented at the time of the judge Barison I. Torres ( 1063-1065 ). The inscription of a Guido de Vada with the year 1111 on the basis of a pilaster has been securely attached after the completion of the basilica. As a Sardinian manuscript of 1470 reported they picked for the construction of the Church ", the eleven most excellent and best stonemasons and bricklayers that you could find in Pisa ". The unknown architect came safely out of Pisa, though he took up foreign ideas and led to a synthesis of traditional construction methods. The period referred to, he laid the building after the earlier basilicas scheme to three aisles. The sense of space is represented by the broad, high nave and the narrow, low aisles. Lean rows of columns, whose rhythm is suppressed at irregular intervals of cross pillars are connected by short arcs. In Tuscan way you used Roman columns of marble and granite, opposes their variety of shapes and shades the solemn monotony of square plant subdued cheerfulness. The simple, square stone slabs ( Abaken ) over the capitals, which are (for example, San Piero a Grado) and in the cathedral of Pisa also be found in the Tuscan churches of the 11th century, were during the 12th century in Sardinia and in the Tuscany adopted by almost all churches. In contrast to the covered bar with basic type of Tuscan churches here has only the nave a beamed ceiling. In the aisles, the cross vault with the undecorated low transverse arches reveal Lombard influence.

The monotonous sequence of inner arc series continues with the wide smooth blind arches of the exterior walls. Above and below the flat panel roofs of the side aisles, the sheets are carried in two intervals of flat pilasters. This double cycle of the blind arch frieze is also reflected in the apses of San Piero a Grado church. In Sardinia, the subject in numerous later churches were copied, in San Simplicio in Olbia and Santa Giusta. The plurality of transverse ribs of the lead roof reinforces the perspective effect of the elongated structural body. All details fit in San Gavino into a harmonious whole by a sublime solemnity, the cause of which lies in the unsardischen generosity of about 55 m long investment.

A peculiarity in the plan are the two terminal apses of the central nave. It is believed that there was the form of liturgical reasons. The priests have always had before the consecration with his face to the east ( sunrise). Here they turned to after early Christian custom of the community, so that in the older churches the apse located to the west. Since the 5th century, the liturgy prescribes that the priest of the community turns its back, causing the eastern apse has been introduced. In San Gavino, the western apse, however, was undoubtedly part of the original plan. This shows the weakly indicated transept, which is also found in the plan Buschetos, for the cathedral of Pisa. After a long argument valid entrance and facade were initially in the east, approximately at the level of the cross located at the eastern pillar. Later, the basilica was so adapted to the liturgy in force extended by the four eastern pairs of columns and the eastern apse and. In fact, many details of the east wing betray the plastic Lombard style, such as the arched windows with stepped, rather than smooth light slants or Majolikamedaillons. Also the only two Roman capitals can be found here. One of them mimics the pigeon reliefs built as spolia in the west wing early Christian capitals in the middle of leaf, heart and Volutenmotiven. The comparison of the pigeons with those in the north west portal, also confirmed the Lombard effect. This portal was moved in 1492 to its current place Catalan builders as the great South and inserted the East Portal.

Excavations in the interior of San Gavino gave no confirmation of the first hypothesis, since you did not find in the height of the two eastern piers cross the foundations of the former facade, but the remains of a three-nave early Christian basilica with a western apse. Another theory assumes that San Gavino was planned from the outset as Doppelapsisbau, with the main altar in the middle, where he was still standing in the early 17th century. This assumption has been boosted, since 1978 on the inner walls a Baunaht in the height of the two western piers cross was visible upon removal of the plaster layers. It suggests that the basilica in two phases. but was built to a uniform plan; this appeal is made to the squat apse and the low arch windows and arcades in the east wing, to show that the harmonic -designed west wing was the younger. The architectural history of San Gavino is by no means clear.

As already show the early Christian capitals reused in the western part of San Gavino, the Romanesque basilica was not the first church on this site. As, which carried out excavations in the interior of San Gavino in 1614 the Spanish Archbishop of Sassari, Manca Cedrelles, they came across the remains of various older buildings. Actually he was looking for the remains of the martyr turritanischen Gavinus and his companions Protus and Januarius, who were buried according to tradition here. In the hall, another Roman sarcophagus from the 3rd century is placed showing in relief between spouses Apollo and the nine Muses. A Byzantine monumental inscription in the right aisle, one of the most important inscriptions of the 7th or 8th century in Sardinia, praises the victory of Constantine dux of the Lombards.