It was initially an intimate place of veneration, on the tomb of a courageous martyr and, over time, the intensity of popular devotion increased unrelentingly, so much so that it became one of the most distinctive Romanesque sanctuaries on the Island, as well as a popular pilgrimage destination. However, the origin of the Church of San Lussorio in Fordongianus is ‘sealed’, despite the transformations it underwent over the centuries, thanks to an inscription walled into the south side of the building, identifying the site as the place of the martyrdom of Luxorius, which occurred on 21 August 304. According to the Passio Sancti Luxurii the martyr was tried in Cagliari - possibly his city of birth - and taken to the ancient Forum Traiani to be sentenced to death. The same hill where the church is now located was probably the site of the Roman necropolis, where Luxorius was laid to rest in a hypogeum. The martyrium was venerated as early as the 5th century: an apse, a room that ‘guarded’ the tomb and a U-shaped walkway to allow pilgrims to move around the tomb were built.

In the Byzantine era, the buildings were renovated. A small basilica was built and decorated with mosaics on the floor, as well as frescoes, especially in the apse. The Romanesque sanctuary was built on this structure - with vulcanite ashlars - at the beginning of the 12th century, perhaps by the Victorine monks of Marseille. You can still see some of its surviving parts, particularly the apse and the north side of the building. In the centuries that followed, the church was further renovated, after the collapse of the south wall and the stone vault. A lighter wooden roofing was chosen, while the façade you will see was built even later, in the 14th century, in Gothic-Aragonese style. You can admire bas-relief motifs in the basement of the church. In addition to the aforementioned inscription, on one wall you will see the ‘footprints of the pilgrims’, graffiti concentrated on particular ashlars, added by worshippers to testify to their passage. The church has a single nave and, next to the altar, there is a staircase that leads to the crypt. Here, you can walk along a corridor, in which there are various tombs: the remains of the floor mosaics and the frescoes of the apse dating back to the Byzantine period will remain impressed in your memory. You will also notice a rectangular room, covered with marble slabs, traditionally believed to be the hypogeum where Luxorius was buried following his martyrdom.

In front of the church, there is a row of cumbessias, small lodgings used to accommodate pilgrims. They still come alive today during the novena that accompanies the celebration dedicated to the saint, with rituals that traditionally begin on 21 August, the day of the martyrdom. After visiting the church, a stop at the Forum Traiani thermal baths is a must. Built on springs known and venerated since prehistoric times, they were skilfully exploited in Roman times with the construction of a well-structured thermal complex. You can still admire the architecture today, with porticoes, rooms and pools, including the fascinating Nymphaeum.