It was built in the late 11th century on a small hill, once located outside the city walls, used since the Carthaginian times as a cemetery area. In the area already existed a Palaeo-Christian church, built most likely between 594 and 611, which in turn was located near a Roman temple. The apse, the walls and most of the internal columns were finished in the 11th century; the barrel vault of the aisles and the upper parts of the side walls were built in the early 12th century, while the façade was completed in the middle of that century.
Exterior
The church has a façade divided into three parts by two fake columns, with a central triple mullioned window with marble columns; the small bell tower on the right is in Spanish style and is a late addition dating to the Spanish rule of Sardinia. on the left of the façade is inserted an early mediaeval marble slab from another edifice, perhaps portraying Christ entering Jerusalem, or a clash of knights.
The apse is decorated with small corbels, and is surmounted by a large pediment.
The interior, showing the granite construction of the basilica, is on a nave and two aisles divided by columns and piers. In the middle of the apse are two ruined frescoes, depicting St. Simplicius and Victor of Fausania, who was bishop of Olbia after 595 and is considered a saint only in this city. Under the altar are the relics of Simplicius, discovered in 1614 while excavating the church's crypt.
Sources
Panedda, Dionigi (1959). Olbia attraverso i secoli. Cagliari: Fossataro.
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Romanesque is characterized by semicircular arches, while the Gothic is marked by the pointed arches. The Romanesque emerged nearly simultaneously in multiple countries ; its examples can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. Similarly to Gothic, the name of the style was transferred onto the contemporary Romanesque art.
The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe is a church in Classe, Ravenna, Italy, consecrated on 9 May 549 by the bishop Maximian and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna and Classe.
The Basilica of San Domenico is one of the major churches in Bologna, Italy. The remains of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), are buried inside the exquisite shrine Arca di San Domenico, made by Nicola Pisano and his workshop, Arnolfo di Cambio and with later additions by Niccolò dell'Arca and the young Michelangelo.
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is an ancient Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic church in the center of Milan, region of Lombardy, Italy.
The Cathedral of St. Anastasia is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Zadar, Croatia, seat of the Archdiocese of Zadar, and the largest church in all of Dalmatia.
The Cathedral of Cefalù is a Roman Catholic basilica in Cefalù, Sicily. It is one of nine structures included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is a basilica church on the island of Torcello, Venice, northern Italy. It is a notable example of Late Paleochristian architecture, one of the most ancient religious edifices in the Veneto, and containing the earliest mosaics in the area of Venice.
The Basilica di San Zeno is a minor basilica of Verona, northern Italy constructed between 967 and 1398 AD. Its fame rests partly on its Romanesque architecture and partly upon the tradition that its crypt was the place of the marriage of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It stands adjacent to a Benedictine abbey, both dedicated to St Zeno of Verona.
The chiesa di Sant'Anastasia, or the Basilica of Saint Anastasia is a church built by the Dominican Order in Verona, northern Italy. In Gothic style, it is the largest church in the city, located in its most ancient district, near the Ponte Pietra.
San Piero a Grado is a church in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, in the eponymous frazione 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the city center. The church is located where once was a now disappeared port of the Pisan Republic, where, according to the legend, St. Peter landed in Italy from Antiochia in 44 AD.
The Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is a Romanesque-style 11th-century Catholic basilica church located in Como, region of Lombardy, Italy.
The Basilica di Sant'Antioco of Bisarcio is a countryside church near Chilivani, a frazione of Ozieri, Sardinia, Italy. Located on an isolated volcanic hill, it is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Sardinia.
Santa Maria del Regno is a Romanesque church in Ardara, province of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy.
Santa Giusta Cathedral, now a minor basilica is the former cathedral of the abolished Diocese of Santa Giusta, in Santa Giusta, province of Oristano, Sardinia, Italy. The dedication is to Saint Justa of Cagliari who, according to the tradition, was martyred here at the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian, with her companions Saints Justina and Aenidina. Almost entirely built in sandstone, it is considered one of the most important examples of Sardinian Romanesque architecture.
The Ancient Royal and Eminent Basilica Collegiate of Our Lady of the Alms, better known as Basilica della Colleggiata, is a church in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Finished in 1794, it is an example of Sicilian Baroque.
The Basilica di San Gavino is a proto-Romanesque church in Porto Torres, Sardinia, Italy. A former cathedral, it is now a place for the veneration of local martyrs and a parish church.
Santa Maria is a medieval church in the comune of Uta, Sardinia, Italy.
Otranto Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Otranto, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. It is the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Otranto. The cathedral was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns from unknown quarries. Its plan is a three-aisled nave with an apsidal east end. On either side of the west façade are two lancet windows.
The Basilica di San Giulio is a Roman Catholic church on the small Isola San Giulio in the center of Lake Orta, province of Novara, north-western Italy. It has the status of a minor basilica. Although the island is part of the Orta San Giulio municipality, the basilica belongs to the San Giacomo parish, including the island and a portion of the west coast of the lake in San Maurizio d'Opaglio municipality.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
