After his death
In Ploaghe, the funeral in memory of this great man were celebrated with his co-citizens’ great sadness by the Town Council both in the Parish Church and in the Town Hall on 20th May, 1878.
The theologian lawyer Sebastiano Congiatu, mayor of Ploaghe, had inscriptions affixed in Spano’s memory on the outer door of the Town Hall, before the altar, on the right side of the catafalque and in front of the church door. After a sad Mass, the town council, the mayor, Spano’s relatives and a great part of the inhabitants went to the Town Hall where they started reading funeral speeches. The first to speak was the Mayor; then there was a speech read by a nephew of the late scholar’s, the theologian Francesco Spano, Borutta parish priest; afterwards, a commemoration by the lawyer Francesco Angioini Contini, a speech by the lawyer Giuseppe Uleri and, at last, a sonnet by the notary Gavino Me Fois.
Such a great number of people present at his funeral has to be explained, besides the indisputable cultural qualities of the Great Canonical, because of his benevolence and his generosity towards his people after his death. I am referring, in particular, to a 1000 liras legacy, given to Ploaghe Town Council: I leave to Ploaghe Town Council 1000 liras to be used as they wish, that is to restore some public work, fountains or roads. These news are written down in a document found by myself in the historical archive of Ploaghe Town Hall.
In 1912, Ploaghe remembered once again the great scholar. On 12th November the mayor, lawyer Gerolamo Mulas, the chairmen Pirastru Antonio Maria, Pulina Casula Gio. Mari, Sini Tedde Giovanni and the secretary Gio. Maria Lei Spano made up a committee to inaugurate a marble bust, of valuable workmanship, created by Sartorio and representing the great scholar. This bust had been given to the Town Council, with everything else he had on earth, by doctor Gio. Maria Spano, deceased some year before. To make this event more memorable, they decided to give, in the same day, a charity feast, and, through a public underwriting between rich people, to collect some money to be distributed to the town poor families.
On the day they chosen, 29th November, there were a lot of people. The inhabitants, the Mayor and the junta, in the church square, received the many politic, ecclesiastical and university celebrities called to Ploaghe on that occasion. In particular, there were: deputy Filippo Garavetti, professor Antonio Fais, lawyer Pietro Satta Branca, lawyer Lei Spano, professor Soro Delitala, the members of the provincial Committee of Monuments, lawyer Camboni for the Superintendence of Monuments, some chairmen and representatives of the towns of Chiaramonti, Florinas, Codrongianos, Osilo. There were moreover many lawyers, Spano’s relatives and student representatives from Sassari University, Sassari Azuni Gymnasium, from Technical Institute and National Boarding–school. The ceremony of the delivery of the monument took place in the Town Hall where, besides, they read the many support telegrams by important people. The bust now can be found in the building of Ploaghe Primary School.
On 21st June, 2003, after almost a century, on occasion of the second centenary of Giovanni Spano’s birth, Ploaghe remembered his citizen with a conference, a stamp and an official ceremony, thanks to the mayor, Maria Gavina Masala, and the junta, in order to dedicate him a commemorative plaque, written in Sardinian Language, Ploaghe idiom, by professor Giovanna Maria Ledda from Ploaghe, scholar of Sardinian linguistics, and to entitle Spano the Town Library.
Here is what is written in the plaque affixed on the top of the library door:
Town of Ploaghe
To the canonical Giovanni Spano (1803–1807), famous Ploaghese, on the second centenary from his birth, because of his passion for the history, the language, the archaeology, the cultural inheritance of our Sardinia.
Ploaghe, the twenty-one of June, 2003.
The Town Council