Church of Our Lady of Silvaru

Ossi is a little village in the suburbs of Sassari, characterised by traditions that are centuries-old with an important pre-historical heritage. It is surrounded by a landscape where hills and valleys are alternated with rocky surfaces. Surrounded by the countryside, we find the church of Our Lady of Silvaru, dating back to the second half of the 12th century. The façade of the building has a single pinnacle and an entrance portal with architrave, surmounted by a round arch and wide half pillars. Only the imposts of the bell-gable are still standing and, on the right, the frame and corbel. The building has only one nave and a longitudinal plan, closed on the east side by the apse, in accordance with liturgical rules. Its dimensions are modest and, as per the majority of Romanesque churches in the province of Sassari, the wall surface inside and outside is made of white limestone ashlars. The stones, cut with sharp edges, make up a square section of regular rows, which is not uniform in some parts. The main body of the church has few ornaments, the only exception is the frame that outlines the setting of the barrel vault, thought to have been made at a later time. There is a lancet window on the northern side of the presbytery and another in the apse.

Source: “Archaeology of the Territory of Ossi” (in Italian), by Pina Maria Deruda