Saint Michael of Salvennor

Saint Michael of Salvennor’s Church, built on to the namesake abbey, can be found about 3 km far from Ploaghe, along Sassari–Olbia 597 State road, in Riu de Corte or Su Giardinu valley[i].

Historical references

    In the first half of XII century, during Constantine I kingdom, Vallombrosan monks settled in Logudoro. Torres Judges policy to approach Roman Church dated back to the previous fifty years: after many centuries of isolation, for the first time Sardinia was opening to other experiences, that in our case were the request of Benedictine monks, asked by Barisone of Torres, in 1063, to the abbot Desiderio di Montecassino.

    Meeting these new people brought to achieve large uncultivated lands which were made more fertile through the use of cultivating techniques, especially cereals, by swamps drainage and the recover of large uncultivated lands.

    Vallombrosan congregation had been founded in 1036 by Saint John Gualberto with the intention of renewing and reforming old monasticism and the Church itself. When those monks came to Logudoro, and in Figulinas Curatoria, this was not due to Judge initiative, though it was esteemed by him, who followed a policy favourable to Pisa.

    In 1127, Vallombrosa monks come to possess Plaiano Saint Michael’s church (in Romangia Curatoria), which Judge Mariano I, Constantine’s father, had made build and given in 1082 to Pisa Saint Mary Institution. This organization, which administered the goods given by its follower to finance the building of Pisa Cathedral, gave away Plaiano church with its lands, vineyards, servants, maids and the four churches depending: Sennor Saint Mary, Tissi St. Anastasia, Musciano St. Eugenia and Essala St. Simplicio, to Calmadolese monastery of Pisa San Zenone, first, and to Vallombrosan monks, afterwards.

    Near the church they made build an abbey which shortly became more and more important.

    Some year before 1138, Vallombrosan monks achieved Salvennor Saint Michael abbey too.

    Salvennor church was presumably made build up by Judge Mariano I between 1065 and 1082, but we do not know when nor how it came under Vallombrosan possession. In 1139, in the 25^th May papal bull, pope Innocenzo II confirmed Vallombrosans’ possession of the monastery and the church. Some year later, in 1153, on 22^nd November, pope Anastasio IV took under his protection Vallombrosan order, which already owned over fifty-two monasteries, and, among them, Salvennor St. Michael’s one too, in Sardinia.

    Salvennor abbey owned the hermitage adjoined to the church of St. Mary from Seve or Cea, near Banari, which, like Saint Michael’s one, was privileged to have a Holy Door. On this matter, a document, found by Cipriario in Vallombrosan Archives and edited in Vatican in 1600, shows us the splendid ceremonial to open the Holy Door, which occurred every year, for a month, on 29^th September during St. Michael Archangel’s feast.

    The abbot “indutus pluviali, mitra et baculo”, the priests and the monks preceded the procession. After them, came the major of the near villages, divided in three groups, each with a different task. Ploaghe, Bisarcio and Chiaramonti majors had a red-banded, golden stick which they had to hand over to the abbot in order to open the Holy Door; Salvennor and Agustana ones handed a silver stick; and finally, Ardar, Cotronjanu, Carjeke, Ficulinas, Muros, Novalja, Otigheri, Nuketu, Nugulvi, Puthu Majore, Ithir and Cannetu, Orsi, Thigesi, Vanar, Siloke, Sippula, Villanova, Bedas and other near villages ones, who bore a red cross on their chest, were in charge to help the abbot as he was washing his hands. Meanwhile, the monks helped the crowd, giving out food and admitting sick people to s’ispitale[ii], which was near St. Imbiricu’s church, near Mount Imbiligu, where today you can found Ploaghe railway station.

    Monks’ estates were huge: over six thousand and five hundred hectares. It included several lands in Ploaghe territory, in Augustana, towards Mount of Petru Corsu e Petras Rubias, in Salvennor, in campu de Lasari, in the villages of Urieke and Ficulinas. They also owned buildings in Billikennor, in Consedin, in Oruspe (near Sennori), in Murusus and Nurguso (near Sassari), in Ostule and Ilvensa (in Nuketu territory), in Turricla (near Padria), in Puthu Majore, in Trullas, in Othigeri, and salt-works in Nurra.

    The monastery, further more, had several privileges given by Pope Innocenzo II with the 25^th May 1139 bull, especially the power to prohibit any bishop to celebrate in their temple.

    However, starting from the second half of XIII century, Vallombrosa congregation slowly began declining, especially because of the fall of Torres Giudicato (1259) and the hard political situation following it, but, above all, due to Catalans’ and Aragon’s final settling in the whole Sardinia.

    Vallombrosans stayed in Salvennor until the second half of XIV century. Last Vallombrosan abbot was D. Bartolomeo, prior of Plaiano St. Michael’s Church, in 1403. In 1584, Fara, in his In Sardiniae de Chorographiam wrote that Saint Michael’s abbey was already abandoned by the monks and in ruins.

    In 1587 Roman Church tried to make Vallombrosans come back to Salvennor. Pope Sisto V sent to Sardinia the learned abbot Adriano Ciprario from Palestrina, already quoted above about the discover of the manuscript which described the opening of Salvennor St. Michael’s Holy Door, as Saint Michael’s abbot. The purpose of his mission was to get some income to be able to continue his studies, but the actual Pope’s intent was to make the monks come back to Salvennor.

    Some year later, on 4^th October 1599, Ciprario himself, Salvennor Saint Michael’s abbot, asked Sardinia viceroy to give the monastery eight salt rasieri[iii] and eight liras every year for each salt-works belonging to the monks pocketed up since 1507.

Architectural and artistic structure

The church, 20 meters long and 6 meters wide, was built with white calcareous and black volcanic stones.

It has a cross plan with a transept opening on three semicircular apses, which is similar to Saccargia church[iv]. Its nave roof is made in wood trusses.

During XIII century, in Romanesque age, it was widely renewed: its pediments, prospect and arcades were repaired and its portal, with its high arched and pilastered façade, was built once again.

    They used a two-colored scheme and little hanging arches.

    The church was probably built by traditional Lombard workers before Buscheto, who had previously erected S. Pietro a Grado’s and Santa Cristina’s churches in Pisa, and worked in Torres Giudicato to re-construct Tergu Saint Mary’s and Bulzi St. Peter’s churches, both in Anglona Curatoria.

    The church was repaired once again in 1912.

    The back has not been renewed as the rest of the building: it has three apses decorated with little arches and pilasters.

    Once there was a two-colored striped belfry, but today only its base, which is used as transept chapel, is left.

    In Middle Ages, on the left side of the nave was a Holy Door which was opened on every year’s 29^th September, for a month, during St. Michael Archangel’s feast. The church, incorporated in the monastery, was joined to it through a wide arcade with crossed vaults which today is in ruins.

    There was a round building, too, called sa Turrita[v], which was used to watch the fields near the monastery.

    In Giovanni Spano’s[vi] times, in the church could be found a Baroque golden wood altar with a St. Michael’s wood statue on it.

Nowadays this statue, after being repaired, is kept in the Rector’s house in Ploaghe, while the altar has been replaced with another one built with trachytic stones from Ploaghe quarries.

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