"Please, if you go to see these sites, especially the ruins like the ones in the photo, do not climb on them like the girl did: they have always been at risk. We are trying to preserve them as much as possible as a historical memory of our heritage."
This is the appeal launched today on social media, accompanied by a photographic document showing a hiker climbing the ruins of the small church of Santu Jacu, one of the Byzantine places of worship on Mount Ortobene, a heritage that risks being irreparably damaged . The image, which has caused a wave of concern, highlights the reckless behavior of those who, ignoring the historical value of the site, put it in serious danger.
The little church of Santu Jacu, together with the nearby Sa Itria, is part of a unique cultural heritage that dates back about five hundred years, but which today is in a state of serious abandonment. The appeal comes to the OrthobenEssere association, always at the forefront in the protection of Monte Ortobene, and to the Monte Ortobene “Ultima Spiaggia” Committee, both committed to safeguarding and enhancing these places of great historical and cultural value.
Despite an important commitment by the Nuoro City Council in March 2018, when a package of initiatives for the environmental and cultural revitalization of Monte Ortobene was approved, the project to enhance and secure the Byzantine churches of Sa Itria and Santu Jacu has so far been largely neglected . The motion, supported by Psd'Az, envisaged a series of interventions to protect these places, but so far very little has been done.
Now, with the additional risk represented by acts of incivility such as the one documented on social media, we urgently ask that the competent authorities intervene to secure the sites and begin restoration work. The hope is that these places, which tell an important part of the history of Nuoro and Sardinia, will not be forgotten and that we will take action to safeguard them before it is too late. The invitation is therefore to respect the historical and cultural value, to avoid dangerous behavior and to contribute to their conservation, so as not to let a unique heritage vanish in the silence of indifference.
