San Simplicio in Olbia
San Simplicio in Olbia is a Romanesque basilica in Olbia in Sardinia ( Italy ). It has had the title of a minor basilica since 1993. The eponymous saint of the former cathedral is the oldest traditional bishop on the island, the patron saint of the city and one of the island's five martyrs . Its predecessor was a Byzantine church, which was probably built between 594 and 611 AD and was located near a Roman temple. The church is the greatest architectural gem in Gallura .
San Simplicio was built from the late 11th to the middle 12th centuries on a hill outside the city walls that was previously a Punic cemetery. In the 12th century, the barrel vaulting of the side aisles made from fired bricks , the upper parts of the side walls, the Pisan-Provencal facade and an extension of the building by two arches were created. The gray-yellow granite church, which is now located within the old town, has a clearly three-part facade. In the middle part there is the simple portal and a three-arched window in the oriental style, divided by marble columns . The small, Spanish-style bell gable on the right is an addition from the Spanish period of Sardinia (16th century). The small and rare west apse , towered over by a high gable, is decorated with pilaster strips and Pisan blind arcades, as are the side walls .
The interior of the three-aisled basilica is divided by columns and pilasters with Lombard granite capitals. Milestones of the old Roman road are set up on the walls. In the middle of the apse there are two damaged frescoes depicting St. Simplicio and Victor von Fausania, who was bishop in Olbia after 595, which was then still called Fausania. The relics of St. Simplicio were discovered under the altar in 1614 when a crypt was being built.
literature
- Luigi Agus: San Simplicio in Olbia e la Diocesi di Civitavecchia 2009
Web links
Coordinates: 40 ° 55 ′ 31.7 " N , 9 ° 29 ′ 47.9" E