The Church
The parish church of the village rises in the inhabited centre of Orotelli. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, its Romanesque plan originally presented a crux commissa layout, i.e. a single-naved hall with a wooden roofing and a groin-vaulted transept; it was changed and enlarged in recent times. In the Middle Ages, it temporarily carried out cathedral functions. Orotelli is sited at the back of the town of Nuoro, in a very interesting area from a naturalistic point of view, hosting either remarkable monuments and minor churches, enhanced by their landscape settings.
Description »
Originally, the church presented a crux commissa, i.e. a single-naved hall with a wooden roofing and a groin-vaulted transept. The building material is volcanic stone, used in the façade as in the apse. The main elevation is partitioned into three courses by shaped horizontal frames. In the lower part, the portal is surmounted by a circular opening and small arches. The upper section is also decorated by arcadings following the varying roof levels. The apse is plain, without vertical partitions. The upper section presents Lombard bands in the apsidal basin, in the upper part and in the transept heads.
History »
Documentary sources report that Orotelli covered the role of episcopal see from 1116 to 1139, following the temporary transfer of the see from Ottana (reset in a later period).
Works »
A noteworthy bell tower features animal sculptures, datable from the 14th century.
Restorations »
In the 1970’s, the church underwent enlargement works, including the insertion of two aisles. A large part of the building was plastered during the same works.
Bibliography »
Roberto Coroneo, Architettura romanica dalla metà del mille al primo ‘300, Nuoro, 1993. Roberto Coroneo, Renata Serra, Sardegna preromanica e romanica, collana “Patrimonio artistico italiano”, Milano, 2004.Roberto Coroneo, Chiese romaniche della Sardegna. Itinerari turistico-culturali, Cagliari, 2005.
Location
Apse
Main body
Cathedral
String course
Nave/Aisles
Portal
Cross vault
