POZZOMAGGIORE

Pozzomaggiore is located on a plateau surrounded by hills in the northwestern part of Sardinia, easily accessible since it is only 10 km from the state road 131.

The territory of Pozzomaggiore ranges from an altitude of about 150 meters above sea level to the highest peak, “Mount Rughe”, at 665 meters, located in the southern part of the territory, the one that borders the municipality of Sindia.

Pozzomaggiore borders to the west with Bosa, Suni and Padria, to the north with Mara and Cossoine, and to the east with Semestene. The “Rio Mannu”, an important tributary of the river Temo is the border between Pozzomaggiore and the towns of Planargia region, and for years it was the only natural barrier between these two territories, with only two bridges built at the two ends of the river that allowed passage from one side to the other, the “Oinu” bridge and the “Sanna” bridge.

The territory of Pozzomaggiore is also interesting from the point of view of volcanology; in fact, we can find two extinct volcanoes “Mount Oe” and “Mount San Pietro”.

A town of historic buildings and noble houses, some dating back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in neoclassical and liberty style, testify to the town’s residence of a bourgeoisie of a certain importance. Some of these have unfortunately disappeared, such as the palace of the Marquises of Villarios, while others still exist, such as the house of General Pinna Parpaglia.

Worthy of note is the house where Edvige Carboni was born and lived, today a house museum that welcomes visitors who wish to pay homage to the Blessed.

In Pozzomaggiore, for about a hundred years, there was the so-called “granary mountain”, a large warehouse where seeds were stored and given to farmers who needed them in more difficult years of agriculture. There are several murals that embellish the town center and tell stories of everyday life. Horses are particularly important to Pozzomaggiore, the so-called “ardia” in honor of San Costantino has been held since 1923. The town also has a hippodrome, the scene of various horse races, and the horse museum, a unique museum of its kind in Sardinia that talks about history, work, traditions, culture, and which testify to how important this animal is in the life of the community.

The name of Pozzomaggiore, now written as a single word, but actually composed of two, is linked precisely to a characteristic that made the well in the village the largest, the “major”, in the surrounding area. Since the 11th century this name appeared in written documents that have obviously reached today with different spellings, including “Puthu Maiore”, “Puthumajor”, and similar.

The economy of Pozzomaggiore is mainly based on breeding and agriculture. The breeding is mainly of sheep, but the cattle and pig sector is also very respectable.
An important economic reality is precisely the social dairy that acquires the milk provided by the members and transforms it into cheeses of different varieties, which is exported both nationally and abroad.
Linked to the sheep and wool sector, especially in the past, was the weaving sector, especially of carpets and tapestries, worked with looms or hand irons and which represented scenes of daily life, especially animals and hunting scenes or traditional dances.
Last but not least, is the entire equestrian sector which, with its hippodrome and horse museum, attracts numerous enthusiasts who want to learn the art of riding by relying on highly experienced trainers.

The church of San Giorgio, the town’s patron saint, dates back to the early 1500s. It has been restored over the last two centuries, but the large arch above the entrance door and the two lateral columns are still preserved. It has a rose window of considerable size, which allows light to enter the largest sanctuary in the town. The church has a single nave divided into five bays by arches resting on polygonal pillars and with chapels on each side. In one of these chapels there is a wooden statue of San Giorgio, who on horseback with a lance pierces the infamous dragon that according to legend spread fear in a city in Libya. Legend has it that San Giorgio proposed himself as the only person capable of killing the dragon only on the condition that the inhabitants of the city converted to Christians. All the citizens did so, and the monster was defeated. San Giorgio is also remembered above all for the martyrs he had to suffer because of his Christian faith, professed however in Palestine.

The oldest church in Pozzomaggiore is that of Santa Croce. Built in 1180, it was originally dedicated to Saint Augustine. The original church was much smaller than the current one, in fact, it has undergone numerous transformations and expansions, and the church as we know it today is the result mainly of work carried out in the 16th century.

The large wooden crucifix that is better known in the town as “Babbu Mannu” dates back to the same period. The church of Sant’Antonio Abate, which dates back to the 17th century, overlooks the convent square. The church is adjacent to the convent of the Augustinian Fathers, and it is interesting that in the same church the Madonna della Salute is also celebrated on 29 September, in addition of course to the celebrations for Sant’Antonio Abate on 17 January.

As for country churches, in Pozzomaggiore there are Santa Maria delle Grazie, built in the 16th century, the church of San Pietro, of which there is evidence from the 15th century, and the church of San Costantino, now incorporated into the outskirts of the town following urban expansion, built between 1920 and 1923 with an Art Nouveau façade, which is the sanctuary of the famous festival that commemorates the holy emperor.

The archaeological sites found in the territory of Pozzomaggiore can be dated back to the Neolithic, with tombs and menhirs in which religious rites were performed. The localities “S’oltu de sa ide” and “Pedra Lada” are the places where we can admire the best-preserved examples of this archaeology with a domus de Janas consisting of no less than 14 tombs. We also have numerous very interesting remains of human settlements during the Nuragic period, including the well-known nuraghe “Alvu”.