In the hinterland of the Sinis Peninsula, there is a small village enveloped in silence. This is the village of San Salvatore.
Empty all year round, the village comes to life between the end of August and the beginning of September for religious celebrations.
At the heart of this small village is the church dedicated to Jesus the Savior, which houses a hypogeum.

The small church of San Salvatore conceals a hypogeum beneath its floor: an evocative underground structure partly carved into the rock and partly constructed with bricks and mortar. The building technique, consisting of rows of bricks alternated with rows of sandstone blocks, has allowed the dating of the structure to the 4th century AD.

A short staircase leads to a corridor flanked on the left and right by two quadrangular rooms. Continuing along, the corridor opens into a circular room, largely occupied by the mouth of a quadrangular well. Surrounding the well are the thresholds of three apsidal rooms. The largest, semicircular in plan, is aligned with the entrance corridor.
The importance of water inside the building, both physically and as a fundamental source of life and worship, is evident from the central position of the well.
Essential for the development of any human settlement, water is often an important element in the religious sphere in all religions. It is attributed with beneficial properties and therapeutic virtues, which is why springs, fountains, and water collection places often became sacred spaces. Freshwater is essential, especially in a territory which has always been connected to productive activities.

Within the underground spaces, the walls show depictions and inscriptions from different eras, evidence of the passage of people through the centuries. The most recurring are mythological scenes, boats, animals, and chariot races. Some likely date back to the original construction of the structure, while others are later, reproduced during the various reuses of the underground spaces over time.

Among the many depictions we can admire inside the hypogeum, those found in the second room on the right are striking and distinctive. Their illustrative characteristics have helped confirm the dating of the structure to the 4th century AD.
On the semicircular wall, facing the room’s entrance, there is a representation known as “the sacred conversation.” This is a collective scene with five recognizable characters, identified through careful analysis of their distinctive elements and especially by the names written above their respective depictions.
On the left side are Luna and Venus, standing side by side. Next to Venus is Mars, and to his right, flying, is Amor (Eros), holding a veil symbolizing the union between Mars and Venus. Finally, there is Musa, sitting on a large seat and depicted while fastening her sandal, with her gaze directed outward from the scene.

In the same room, immediately to the right of the entrance, one of Hercules’ twelve labors is depicted. The hero is shown bare-chested as his arms strangle the fierce Nemean lion, whose head is hidden from the viewer’s sight.
The technique and representational style fully align with the figurative schemes already observed in the “sacred conversation”, suggesting that the two works were executed in the same period.

In the same room, another depiction arouses curiosity: the rectangular tablet with two triangular handles located above the sacred conversation. This element is significant as it often identifies Roman sodalitates (corporations). Additionally, the inscription “SCHOLA” indicates a gathering place for collegia (societies) and corporations.
Based on this, it is likely that the hypogeum in the late imperial era was the headquarters of an ancient sodalitas.
This consideration is also linked to the symbol “RF,” traditionally interpreted as a Semitic root referring to a term meaning “care/heal” and now reconsidered, in light of this new interpretation, as an acclamation where “R” would indicate the name of the sodalitas and “F” would stand for familiae. This hypothesis does not deviate from the sacredness of the structure in any case.

This medieval village with Spanish origins comes alive in September for the saint’s festival and the traditional Corsa degli scalzi  (“Barefoot Race”). A place of worship for millennia, the village of San Salvatore has also occasionally served as a 20th-century setting for spaghetti Western movies.

The village of San Salvatore is a temporary religious center composed of numerous tiny houses arranged in rows around a small church and a large quadrangular square. The center comes to life during the novenas and the saint’s festival, which is celebrated on the first Sunday of September. For nine days, the faithful participate daily in a Via Crucis in Sardinian language along the village streets.
San Salvatore is also frequented by farmers during the planting season in autumn and the wheat harvest in summer.

The small church of San Salvatore, located at the center of the square, was built in the Spanish era at the end of the 17th century, over an underground sanctuary of pagan origins that was later transformed into a Christian place of worship.
The building, rectangular in plan (13.3 x 9.6 meters) with a northeastern orientation, is preceded by a small quadrangular portico supported by two sandstone pillars. It is divided into two naves: the left one ending with the presbytery, and the right one with the sacristy.

The first houses of the village began to appear around the church as early as the 18th century to meet the needs of the faithful. Over time, the village reached its current size, which has remained almost identical to that recorded around the mid-19th century.