Some ideas about San Gavino Monreale

Hi!
We are the students of 2^c,
and we are at the middle school in San Gavino Monreale.
We want to write some ideas about the place where we live.

1) The name of San Gavino comes from the castle of Monreale.
It's on the hill in the north of my village.

Il castello fu edificato nel XII\XIII secolo. Fu chiamato Monreale dal nome del castello che sorge sopra. Venne probabilmente costruito da Giovanni Capula che in quel periodo stava erigendo le Torri di San Pancrazio, dell'Elefante e dell'Aquila a Cagliari.
Veniva usato come abitazione per i giudici d'Arborea. Dopo una lunga guerra fu usato come deposito di viveri, armi e come rifugio per i soldati. Tutto questo quando fu fortificato il complesso.

The castle was built in XII \ XIII century. The name Monreale was the name of the castle that rises above. It was probably built by John Capula that at that time was erecting the towers of San Pancrazio, dell'Elefante and dell'Aquila in Cagliari. It was used as housing for judges of Arborea. After a long war it was used as storage of food, weapons and as a refuge for the soldiers.

There are two ideas about the origin of the name Monreale. Firstly it was called Monreale by the Spanish “Aragonesi”; while others, according to an ancient document, that in 1309 the castrum of the mountain on which stands the castle, it was qualified as royal. In Italian language “reale”. “il mon real” or royal mountain, often the residence of the “giudici d’Arborea” (historic administration of the region of Sardinia).

Now, the hill and the ruins of the castle are in the territory of the nearest village of Sardara.

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San Gavino Church

2) Then San Gavino is an important and old church, built during the XIV century by 'Mariano IV of Arborea'.

The San Gavino Martyr Church was erected in the XIV century by Pisan labourers. The apse preserves four historic figures of the Arborea family. Mariano IV with his daughter Benedetta, Ugone III, Eleonora of Arborea and her husband Brancaleone Doria are sculpted in its corbels. On the apse’s pilaster there is another image: Eleonora and her two sons Federico e Mariano.

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Santa Lucia Church

An important Church is Santa Lucia Church. Some words in an inscribed tablet say that the church existed in 1202. After three centuries it was built a rectangular nave and four aisles, the “sacrestia” and the chorus. The last important architectonical intervention dates back to the XX century.

Santa Lucia church Before the last restoration

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Santa Lucia's Convent

The monastery was built by the “Francescani” in 1580, and it was consecrated in 1582. In the convent there is the kitchen, the dinning-hall and the cells.
A square cloister gives to the all building a sense of nobility.

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Santa Chiara church by night

It was built around the XV century and it is in centre of the village. Now it is a Parish. It is a very beautiful church!!!
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Santa Teresa church

It is a modern church, it isn't an old church.

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Santa Croce church

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The foundery

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Saffron

The crocus sativus lannaeus: this is the flowers of saffron – “zafferano” in Italian language. “the red gold”, it is cultivated from ancient time in Sardinia and in particular in San Gavino Monreale.

About the end October and the first 10 days of November people pick up the flowers of saffron for only 15 days.

This article has written by Alessandra, Giulia, Richard, Angela, Sara, Elena, Federica, Chiara, Federico, Daniele, Nicola, Patrizia, Roberta, Silvia, Lorenzo, Valeria, Marta, Daniela, Gabriele.