Abbasanta
Abbasanta | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Abbasanta | |
Church of Santa Caterina in Abbasanta | |
Abbasanta Location of Abbasanta in Sardinia | |
| Coordinates: 40°7′N 8°49′E / 40.117°N 8.817°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sardinia |
| Province | Oristano |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Stefano Sanna |
| Area | |
• Total | 39.85 km2 (15.39 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 313 m (1,027 ft) |
| Population (2025)[2] | |
• Total | 2,574 |
| • Density | 64.59/km2 (167.3/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | Abbasantesi Abbasantesos |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 09071 |
| Dialing code | 0785 |
| Patron saint | Saint Catherine of Siena |
| Saint day | 25 November |
| Website | Official website |
Abbasanta (Italian: [abbaˈsanta; -ˈzan-], Sardinian: [ˌabaˈzanta], literally "holy water"; Latin: Ad Medias) is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Oristano of the autonomous island region of Sardinia in Italy. It has 2,574 inhabitants.[3]
It is on the main road between Macomer and Oristano.[4]
History
In Roman times, the town, called Ad Medias, was in the territory of the Æchilenenses or Cornenses.
The village was built all around the two churches of Santa Amada and Santa Caterina (dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria). There was a clear separation between social classes.
Until the 1950s the use of Italian and Sardinian language had distinct and complementary functions. Italian was the official language, used by the public administration, while Sardinian was the language spoken at home and among friends. The characteristic expressions of the dialect are usually inspired by the peasant and pastoral world. Many proverbs refer to the values of honesty, friendship, fidelity (of the woman), loyalty, parsimony and obedience to the divine will.
Geography
Abbasanta sits on a lava plateau rich in cork oaks, olive trees and lentischi (mastic trees). The plateau arose from the lava flow of the Montiferru volcano. The landscape of the lava plateau is characterised by pastures that are enclosed by stone walls that surround the tancas built in the 18th century.
In the surrounding countryside, there are still some typical shelters (pinnete) made of stones and boughs by the shepherds.
Abbasanta borders the municipalities of Ghilarza, Norbello, Paulilatino, and Santu Lussurgiu.
Demographics
As of 2025, the population is 2,574, of which 49.5% are male, and 50.5% are female. Minors make up 13.4% of the population, and seniors make up 28.6%.[5]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: ISTAT[6][7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration
Of the 2,562 residents at the time of the most recent count that included countries of birth, residents' countries of birth included the following countries, in descending order of frequency: Italy (2,456 – 95.9%), Morocco (42 – 1.6%).[8]
| Country of birth | Population |
|---|---|
| Morocco | 42 |
| Romania | 12 |
| Germany | 9 |
| France | 7 |
| Poland | 6 |
| Switzerland | 5 |
| Argentina | 4 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| Australia | 3 |
| Belgium | 3 |
| China | 3 |
| Algeria | 2 |
| Spain | 2 |
| United Kingdom | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 1 |
Architecture
In the village the stone houses are characteristic. They are low and with few floors, without sheds, but usually with a back courtyard where some space is reserved for the domestic animals. This is a quite common architectural dwelling in an area traditionally involved in sheep farming rather than agriculture.
The front room of the house is often a courtyard for chickens, in the centre of which there is the hearth (Sardinian: su foghile), used for hanging and drying cured pork meat. Later, fireplaces replaced the hearths.
Main sights
The whole of the Abbasanta plateau is rich in archaeological sites. Very close to the village is the nuraghe Losa.
A country church is set on the site of Sant'Agostino (dedicated to Augustine of Hippo). Around the rural church, there are some characteristic small houses (in Sardinian language muristenes or cumbessias) that host the pilgrims during the religious feasts.
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2025". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-02-23. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2025". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-02-23. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ Jeremy Boissevain (1996). Coping with Tourists: European Reactions to Mass Tourism. Berghahn Books. ISBN 1-57181-878-2.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2025". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2026-02-23. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27. (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)