The apse frescoes
There are still fragments of frescoes inside the church of San Nicola di Trullas, that originally extended along the entire wall surface. At the back of the nave, behind the altar, there is a semi-circular structure known as the apse. This is the most important area in the church, as it is where sacred functions are carried out. In the semi-spheric vault of the apse, known as the apsidal vault, there are still traces of a fresco with two couples placed at the sides of a central figure seated on a throne. They are a Christ in Majesty between the Saints Peter and Paul, recognizable thanks to the inscriptions they hold in their hands, together with another two saints that are not recognisable (figs. 1-4). The five figures stand out against a blue sky, while their feet rest on a strip of green. The decoration has been heavily damaged, especially at the top, and the faces of the five people are no longer recognisable.
Bibliografia
- R. CORONEO, R. SERRA, Sardegna preromanica e romanica, Milano 2004, pp. 103-110.
- R. SERRA, In figura Christi. Storie della salvezza nella pittura e nella scultura romaniche in Sardegna, in Studi in onore di Ottorino Pietro Alberti, Cagliari, 1998, pp. 121-141.
- R. SERRA, Gli affreschi romanici della chiesa di San Nicola di Trullas a Semestene, in Medioevo: i modelli, atti del convegno internazionale di studi (Parma 27 settembre - 1° ottobre 1999), a cura di A. C. Quintavalle, Milano, 2002.
- R. SERRA, San Nicola di Trullas, in Sardegna preromanica e romanica, a cura di R. CORONEO E R. SERRA, Milano-Cagliari, 2004.
- A. VIRDIS, San Nicola di Trullas. Gli affreschi, Roma 2014.
VR