Nuorese Cultural District
Bitti
Sanctuary of N.S. dell'Annunziata (s'Annossata)
Description
The sanctuary of the Beata Vergine dell'Annunziata (Blessed Virgin of the Annunciation), known as s'Annossata, is located in a fascinating setting surrounded by a deep valley and little pilgrim shelters called cumbessias, in the municipality of Bitti, near its border with Lodè.
The current building dates to the eighteenth century.
One of the things that makes the sanctuary unique are the numerous cumbessias all around it: little dwellings used by pilgrims during religious festivals.
Over the centuries, various non-structural changes have been made to the church.
In its current state, its presbytery is slightly higher than the nave, which measure six square metres and seventy-seven square metres, respectively.
The church has an east-west orientation, with the entrance on the west side and the altar to the east.
The presbytery has an ogival cross vault that was once frescoed, and doors on two sides: one leads to the sacristy and the other to a side space that opens onto the square. The nave has a barrel vault, supported by two side pillars and an arch at the midway point. The buttresses on the sides of the church were walled and used as covered loggias and cumbessias. The vaults between the presbytery and nave are supported by two side pillars and an arch.
In the past, the presbytery and the nave were separated by a balustrade.
On the church’s facade, between the pediment and the entrance portal, there was once a bas-relief (probably removed at the end of the nineteenth or beginning of the twentieth century) and, in the opening of the pediment, a bell, topped by an arch.
Every year, on the third Sunday of May, the feast of the Madonna of the Assumption is celebrated in this church. It is one of the most important religious festivals for the residents of Bitti.
Contact
- Address:
- Strada Provinciale, 50, 08021 Bitti NU, Italia