From lodgings for pilgrims to shelters for the families of the patients of Santa Maria Bambini. The “cumbessias” that overlook the sanctuary of the Madonna del Rimedio in Donigala, just outside Oristano, is a real rebirth. Small jewels of architecture, history and tradition, the ancient novenaries have for some years been the protagonists of a renovation project wanted by the members of the Soroptimist Club of Oristano in collaboration with the Curia, owner of the "muristenes". Five apartments were inaugurated three years ago, now two more will be added to the complex to give a broader scope to an initiative with great social as well as cultural value.
The novenary
The cumbessias or muristenes are small adobe houses, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Together they form the so-called novenaries that rose near the churches and rural sanctuaries of Sardinia; according to some scholars in ancient times they were the lodgings for the monks. The cumbessias that rise close to the sanctuary of the Madonna del Rimedio fit into this setting: for years they have hosted faithful and devotees who came from all over the island to dissolve a vow or for a simple prayer. Cataloged by the Region as an identity asset, the cumbessias represent the basic cell of the traditional house of Campidano di Oristano. “The houses extend mainly in length and at the back they open into a garden . They are typical examples of the Campidanese building, made of unfired bricks, reeds and wood ”, explained the architect Roberta Sanna. An architectural richness that however ran the risk of being lost: for years now the clay dwellings were closed and unused, without maintenance they risked crumbling under the action of rain and wind.
