MORES

Mores is a town in north-western Sardinia located in the Logudoro region and more precisely in the sub-area better known as “Oppia”. Its predominantly hilly territory extends in the north-south direction and is characterized both by fertile and flat expanses, such as in the southern and north-eastern part in the region known as “Tola di Mores”, and by oak forests, mainly cork oaks and downy oaks, present above all in the two main reliefs of the territory. One is the “Mount Lachesos”, on the slopes of which the town was built, and the other is a slope of the well-known “Mount Santo” which exceeds 730 meters in height, representing the highest point in the territory of Mores, and which occupies for a short stretch the north-western border with Siligo.

Mores borders Ardara to the north, and for a long stretch the border is constituted by a river called “Riu Badde Dianesu” in the first portion, and “Riu Cannuzzu” in the second part. Mores shares the long eastern border with Ozieri and Ittireddu. And it is precisely in the northernmost part bordering Ozieri that the “Oasi delle Steppe Sarde” is located, a site of community interest managed by the WWF and of considerable importance for the flora and fauna that live there, an example above all the little bustard.

For a long stretch the border with Ittireddu is marked by the river “Riu Mannu”, the most important watercourse in the territory of Mores, which in the southern portion even crosses the lands from east to west. It is precisely between Mores and Ittireddu that we find one of the oldest bridges in Sardinia, dating back to the 2nd century and built by the Romans to unite not only these two territories, but to open up to more distant places, with the branch towards Olbia of the then, but also today, main road artery of the island from Cagliari to Porto Torres.

The southern border of the territory is with Bonorva, while to the west Mores borders with Bonnanaro and Torralba.

The town is crossed by the state road 128 bis that leads from the state road 131 to Ozieri.

The town is made up of a historic centre to the north, characterized by narrow and paved streets, and a more modern expansion area to the south with a well-organized structure of the road networks and residential settlements. It is along the main road, which in addition to being a state road is also Corso Vittorio Emanuele, that much of the town’s social life takes place and numerous commercial and cultural activities are concentrated. It is on this road that the church of Santa Caterina stands, and its famous tower with its 46 meters takes the title of the tallest bell tower in Sardinia.

Not far from the church and immersed in the historic centre there is the “Casa Calvia Museum” which houses findings dating back to different eras: starting from the prehistoric era, passing through the Nuragic age, and then the Phoenician and Roman, with representations dating back to the Bronze Age, and an exhibition of ceramics and other findings that testify to how daily life was in ancient times. At the eastern entrance to the town there is the ancient wash house, still in excellent condition today, it is still used for its functions by some of the ladies of the town.

About 5 km from the town centre in a southerly direction there is the racetrack named after Franco di Suni, a marquis who contributed significantly to the development of motor sports in Sardinia. The facility was built in 2003 thanks to the contribution and realization of the Magliona family, of which father Uccio and son Omar have brought prestige to Sardinia in car racing, especially in the category of hill climbs. The racetrack is of national importance and is the only one in Sardinia that can host car and motorbike races of a certain level.

The origin of the name Mores is not of clear provenance. It is assumed that it could be an adaptation and modification of the name “Murus” which indicated the presence of fortifications especially in the past, or a derivation from the name “Amores”, meaning “loves”, subsequently modified with the loss of the initial “a”.

The economy of the town of Mores is mainly based on agriculture and livestock farming, especially sheep for milk production, which is delivered to the “Cooperativa Allevatori di Mores” for its transformation and the sale of cheeses and derivatives both within the regional territory, but that are also exported nationally and internationally.

As for agriculture, in the past it was a source of wheat and corn, while today the land is mostly used for grazing livestock, although there are also several hectares cultivated with olive groves and vineyards. In the latter, especially on the slopes of Mount Santo, excellent quality wines are produced.

The sectors of craftsmanship, construction, hardware and plant engineering also play an important role in the economy of the area.

As for tourist accommodation, there are several points of catering and overnight stay.

The parish church of Mores is that of Santa Caterina di Alessandria, located along the main road that crosses the entire town, not far from the historic centre. It was built around the middle of the 17th century on the same plan as a previous church dating back to two centuries earlier, and the marquis Manca, a very important figure for the town, also contributed to its construction. The façade is in limestone blocks with two pillars at the ends, which rise for the entire height of the church until they protrude beyond the wavy upper cornice. The square-shaped door is set between two lateral columns and a niche, with an arch above with decorations of trachyte bricks alternating with limestone ones. In the upper half of the façade there is a window also bordered with trachyte blocks that allows the passage of light into the sanctuary. The interior of the church has a single nave divided into bays by arches and with six side chapels.

The element that perhaps most characterizes this church is its bell tower, which in its current form was built in the second half of the 19th century in neoclassical style, and therefore about two centuries after the construction of the church, to replace a more modest bell tower. Its 46 meters of height make it the tallest bell tower of the entire Sardinia. It has a structure divided into six levels that start from a base in basalt blocks that rises in a square section for the first five floors while on the last one there is the circular lantern with the statue of the Redeemer above it. As for the construction materials, pink trachyte was mainly used, while for the second floor, blocks of tuff. The penultimate level is perhaps the most interesting and decorated, in fact it has eight columns, two per corner, four clocks and four arches, one per side, inside which the bells are housed, while the statues of the saints Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome and Gregory the Great are installed in the four corners, representing the four doctors of the Western church.

Not far from the main street and precisely in front of San Francesco square there is the Capuchin convent and next to it the church of Sant’Antonio. It was built during the early years of the 18th century, it has a very simple façade with a gabled roof, a square door surmounted by an arched niche and a rectangular window above. Inside, the church has a single nave and three small chapels on the left side.

The third sanctuary in the town of Mores is the church of Santa Croce, located in the heart of the historic centre. There are no certain sources on the period in which it was built, it is a very simple church both externally and internally. The façade is rather modest, with two stone frames at the ends that grow in height until they reach the gabled roof, and a square door surmounted by an arched window. The interior has a single nave and a small altar.

In Mores there are also three country churches, all not far from the town. The closest, about 1.5 km north along the road that leads to Mount Lachesos, is the church of Santa Lucia. The building dates back to the 12th century and was originally dedicated to San Leonardo. According to some sources, it was the parish church of the village of Lachesos that disappeared a few centuries later. Today the structure has been completely restored and plastered. The entrance is on a small gabled façade with an arched door that opens onto the single internal nave divided along its length by three arches. There is also a second side entrance. The wooden roof with two slopes was preserved during the restoration.

The sanctuary in honour of San Giovanni Battista is located 4 km from the town centre in a southwest direction. The building dates back to the 12th century, and was the parish church of the now disappeared village called “S’Ena Frisca”. However, very little of the original structure remains, given the additions and modifications that have followed one another over the years until the imposing construction that we can admire today. Externally, the church has a very simple façade with a gabled roof surmounted by a bell gable, a large upper window that allows light to enter and a square door that leads to the interior, where there is a single nave divided by arches into five bays. On the outside you can see the buttresses that support the internal arches and the numerous loggias built to accommodate the faithful during their pilgrimages.

About 6 km from the town in a southerly direction there is the church of Our Lady of Todorache, built in the 14th century. It was once the parish church of the village of “Todorache”, abandoned around the middle of the 17th century due to the plague that struck the community. This sanctuary is also simple and modest with an asymmetrical gabled façade and a sober arched door. There is also a second side entrance and two windows to illuminate the interior and its single nave. Archaeological evidence in the territory of Mores dates the first human presence back to 5000 years ago with the various domus de Janas discovered, such as the domus of Santa Lucia and San Marco. Very interesting and almost unique in its kind is the domus called “Su Crastu de Sant’Eliseu”, built inside an enormous boulder that detached and rolled from a ridge of Mount Santo, with as many as two floors, which was used for funerary rites in its origins, but also as a church in the later period in the Byzantine age.

Another example of extraordinary magnificence that testifies to the importance of the megalithic period in Sardinia is the Dolmen “Sa Coveccada”, probably the largest and best preserved on the whole island. It has a square plan, the construction material is trachyte, a common stone of the area, it is 5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, and also exceeds 2 meters in height. The structure still has the wall with the entrance, a small arched door carved into the stone, while the back wall and part of the roof are missing, but what remains to cover the front part of the megalithic temple, a stone slab over 60 cm thick and weighing several tons, gives us an idea of ​​how strong this cult was in ancient times.

With regard to the Nuragic age, the territory of Mores is rich in well-preserved nuraghi, especially of simple structure but you can also appreciate important examples of more complex structures with multiple towers, some even with the remains of the surrounding villages. There is no shortage of tombs of the giants either.

As for the Roman age, perhaps the most important and best-preserved testimony that has reached the present day is the bridge called “Pont’Ezzu”, built over the “Riu Mannu” river to connect Mores with Ittireddu. Of the three initial arches, only two remain today, built with basalt blocks that in certain sections alternate with limestone blocks. From the Neolithic to today there is strong evidence of human passage in the territory of Mores, and this is above all thanks to its fundamental natural resources that have allowed human settlements for such a long historical period.