A vandalism at the rural sanctuary of Sant'Elene, in the locality of Cuccuru 'e Janas, has reopened a wound in Siniscola . The news reports the devastation occurred when the small church was under precautionary seizure ordered by the Court of Nuoro as part of proceedings for alleged illegal construction against a private individual, who was later acquitted. The devastation was discovered a few days ago by the caretaker, Claudio Marceddu.
Vandals ransacked the interior , toppling and breaking the statue of Saint Helena and defacing the walls and furnishings with sacrilegious, insulting, obscene, and Satanic graffiti . This act goes beyond vandalism, attacking a place of worship and the memory of a community. There are no reports of subsequent judicial complaints regarding the incident, at least as far as has been known, despite the fact that the church of Saint Helena and its combissias were listed by the Superintendence of Fine Arts as a site worthy of protection in 2021.
For generations, the sanctuary has been the focal point of the August 16th celebration , when the faithful gathered to renew their ancient devotion to the saint. A tradition spanning more than a century, it was interrupted a few years ago due to issues related to the property dispute.