482 Coroneo
revealed fragments of frescos depicting the baptism of Christ, which could
provide a terminus ante quem for the building. San Salvatore in Iglesias recent-
ly underwent a careful and conservative restoration, which made it possible to
study the masonry techniques used there, an endeavor which revealed forms
similar to those at Santa Croce in Ittireddu.10 The latter stands out from the
others in this group through its three apses, as well as the use of a vault (rather
than a dome) to cover the intersection of the transept and the nave, which
was extended in the thirteenth century when the new facade was constructed.
Nothing is known of the architectural sculpture or the liturgical furnishings of
any of these churches.
The domed church of San Giovanni Battista in Assemini is the only one with
a Greek Cross plan inscribed in a square (Fig. 18.6). The problem here lies in
verifying whether the arches granting passage from the arms of the cross to the
side chambers were technically and formally coherent with the barrel vaults
and the crossing dome, or whether they were inserted at a later moment. Good
arguments exist for both hypotheses, although it seems more convincing that
the inscribed Greek Cross plan is the original one. Even in this case, howev-
er, the date ascribed to the building vacillates between the sixth-to-seventh
and the ninth-to-tenth centuries, since inscribed cross plans with domes are
documented from the fifth century on, and experienced a significant come-
back in the age of the Macedonian emperors.
10 Roberto Coroneo, ed., La chiesa altomedievale di San Salvatore di Iglesias: architettura e
restauro (Cagliari, 2009).
Figure 18.6 Assemini. San Giovanni, church exterior.
Photo: R. Martorelli.