In Gesico, the cult of Saint Amatore, known locally as Santu Amadu, has spanned the centuries and continues to represent one of the most profound bonds between the community and its religious history. The origins of the cult are lost between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. According to tradition, Amatore, an African bishop persecuted and exiled in Sardinia, found in Gesico the place where he could continue his journey of faith. A place of veneration developed around the saint's memory, documented by sources at least since 1183, when the sanctuary was first mentioned under the name "ecclesia Sancti Amasi," linked to the monastic order of Saint Victor of Marseille.
A decisive step came in 1621, during the search for saints' relics that affected Sardinia during the Spanish era. Remains attributed to the martyr were discovered in the sanctuary's crypt, including a skull, along with other materials and a tombstone interpreted as evidence of Bishop Amatus's identity. The discovery helped fuel devotion and consolidate Gesico as a pilgrimage destination for the island's faithful.
In the small town of Trexenta, the pilgrimage dedicated to the holy African bishop and martyr is not just a liturgical calendar event, but a tradition that intertwines spirituality, memory, and collective identity, renewing itself from generation to generation.
Tomorrow, Sunday, October 18, celebrations will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the parish of Santa Giusta with a Mass celebrated by Father Efisio Zara, followed at 10:00 a.m. by a celebration presided over by Father Davide Pau. At 11:20 a.m., the sanctuary of Sant'Amatore will be the focus of a Mass broadcast live on Videolina, presided over by Monsignor Ottavio Utzeri and animated by the parish choir conducted by Maestro Andrea Pilloni. The broadcast will include interviews with civil and religious authorities and a postcard dedicated to the town of Gesico. At 6:00 p.m., the day will conclude with a Mass celebrated by Father Franco Crabu at the sanctuary. On Monday, October 19, at 11:00 a.m., the sanctuary will host a celebration presided over by Monsignor Efisio Zara. At 6:00 p.m., the Mass celebrated by Father Davide Pau will precede the traditional torchlight procession from the sanctuary to the parish of Santa Giusta, along Via Sant'Amatore and Via Chiesa. The procession will be accompanied by the launeddas and accordion of Sandro Frau and Edoardo Manca, along with the accordion and accordion of Nicola Zedda and Marcello Caredda. At 7:00 PM, in Piazzale Santa Giusta, the popular vote will be announced, followed by a fireworks display by the Piano Bonaria company of Dolianova.
The celebrations will conclude on Sunday, October 25th, at 10:00 a.m., with Mass in the parish celebrated by Father Efisio Zara. At the end, the relic of Saint Amatore's skull will be transferred from the wooden reliquary to the shrine carved into the wall of the chapel dedicated to the African martyr, in a gesture that renews the protection of a deeply felt religious memory. Through celebrations and popular traditions, Gesico thus renews a spiritual heritage that is part of the history of Trexenta and Sardinia.
