The Municipality of Stintino, led by Mayor Rita Limbania Vallebella, together with Councilor for Culture and Tourism Marta Diana, announce the reopening of the Corpus Domini church, located in the historic Tonnara Saline complex.

An event anticipated for over fifty years: since the early 1970s, the building had no longer hosted religious services. It's worth remembering that the church's resilience today is thanks to the thoughtfulness of former mayor Lorenzo Diana, who at the time had the roof restored, thus safeguarding the structure's stability. However, prolonged disuse had transformed it over the years into an illegal landfill, the work of uncivilized citizens who disrespected the sacred nature of the site.

Today, thanks to a major remediation project initiated by the current administration, the church is once again a dignified place where one can pause and contemplate. A thorough cleaning has been carried out, and the window frames have been secured, closing the windows to prevent pigeons from entering and protecting the interior. The complete restoration of the little church is one of the goals of the Vallebella administration, which has already submitted several public tenders and is awaiting the outcome before beginning the full renovation.

Precisely for this reason, although it can be visited during the "Open Monuments" program on May 16th and 17th, the solemn religious service scheduled for June (the first since 1973) will be held outside the structure, respecting the building's current condition and awaiting its final restoration.

"Restoring the decorum of the Corpus Christi Church was a moral duty to our history," said Mayor Rita Limbania Vallebella. " It is a very important place and a symbol of unity between the two cultures of our region. It is where the Corpus Christi festival was held during the tuna fishing season, and where the families of fishermen and farmers gathered to celebrate the religious holiday and share in joyful friendship. Seeing the church clean today is a sign of rebirth. Our commitment now is to secure the necessary funds through the calls for proposals we have submitted to finally hand over to the citizens a fully restored asset."

"The restoration of the Saline church is an act of cultural restitution," adds Councilor for Culture and Tourism Marta Diana. "Seeing that boat-shaped altar reduced to a landfill was heartbreaking. With this initial cleanup, we honor the past and pave the way for the site's future revitalization."

Built between 1900 and 1901, the church was the spiritual hub for the tuna fishermen and the communities of Nurra. Although known as Corpus Christi, its true patron saint is the Madonna di Bonaria, whose original effigy is now housed at the Tonnara Museum (MUT). After the May event, the site will be available for guided tours throughout the year.

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