S'Ardia of San Costantino in Sedilo

Some festivals you watch, and some you feel in your chest. S'Ardia of Sedilo is the second kind. When the first banner-bearer sends his horse down the slope of su Frontigheddu and about a hundred riders chase him at full gallop, through the dust and the blank shots of the musketeers, you feel the thunder of hooves in your stomach before you hear it. For a few minutes, on the hill above Lake Omodeo, time seems to roll back seventeen centuries.

A saintly emperor

S'Ardia is run in honour of Santu Antinu, that is San Costantino, the Roman emperor Constantine. The Church of Rome never declared him a saint, but in Sardinia, as in the Eastern Churches, Constantine has been venerated for centuries: for popular tradition he is the ruler who won in the name of the cross and gave Christians their freedom. In 312, before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge against the usurper Maxentius, he is said to have seen a cross in the sky with the words In hoc signo vinces. He won, and the following year, with the Edict of Milan, granted freedom of worship throughout the empire.

The Sedilo race re-enacts that very battle. The first banner, the race leader, stands for Constantine and his standard; the riders chasing him are the army of Maxentius, trying to catch up and overtake him. The escorts defend the banner. No one may overtake the first banner: it is the victory of the cross, repeated every year for over two centuries.

The word ardia probably comes from guardia, guard: the armed escort of the saint and his standard.

The sanctuary of Santu Antinu

The sanctuary stands in the countryside on a plateau overlooking Lake Omodeo, just outside the village of Sedilo. Around the church, built between the 16th and 17th centuries, lies a large enclosure surrounded by a wall with two arches, the cumbessias where pilgrims once lodged, and sa Muredda, a low circular wall with a cross in the middle. The church walls are covered with graffiti left by the faithful over the centuries: names, dates, horses, crosses, votive offerings carved into the plaster. All through July the sanctuary draws pilgrims from across the island.

Choosing the first banner

Being chosen as prima pandela, the first banner, is the highest honour for a Sedilo rider, and many wait years for it. The choice belongs to the parish priest, who names the three banner-bearers. The first banner is yellow brocade; the second and third are red and white. Each banner is accompanied by three escorts, experienced riders armed with a stick, whose job is to protect the race leader and stop the pursuers from overtaking him.

On the evening of 6 July the banners are handed over in front of the parish house. Then the procession of riders, led by the priest and the mayor and accompanied by the band and the musketeers, sets off for the sanctuary.

The race

Everything begins on su Frontigheddu, a small rise above the sanctuary. The riders gather around the banners and silence falls over the crowd. Then, at the signal of the first banner, the group hurtles down the steep slope. The first banner must be the first through the stone arch of the enclosure, a narrow gateway that the horses reach at full speed and where much of the race is decided: whoever gets through first has defended the cross.

Once inside the enclosure, the riders gallop seven times around the sanctuary. Then they head for sa Muredda and circle the round wall several times, clockwise and anticlockwise, before galloping back up to the church. Throughout the race the musketeers fire blanks loaded with black powder, and the smoke mixes with the dust thrown up by the hooves.

The race is repeated at dawn on 7 July, after mass: many consider it the finest, with low light over the lake and less heat. After mass the riders leave through the second arch of the enclosure, gather again on su Frontigheddu and ride back to the village, where they return the banners to the priest. On the evening of 7 July the saint's statue is carried in procession through the streets of Sedilo.

A real risk

S'Ardia is not a tame show. The horses run among the crowd, the descent is steep, the arch is narrow, and over the years there have been accidents, some serious. That is why spectators must stay behind the barriers and follow the instructions of the organisers and police. The best spots to watch the descent and the arch are taken many hours beforehand; the sanctuary fills up from the afternoon of the 6th.

In the second half of July there is also an ardia on foot, more low-key, which follows the same route without horses.

Tips for attending

Sedilo is easily reached from the SS131 DCN highway towards Nuoro, about an hour from Oristano and from Nuoro. During the festival traffic to the sanctuary is controlled, so it is best to leave the car in the village and walk. Bring water, a hat and comfortable shoes: July is hot and the wait is long. The races last a few minutes, but the festival lasts two days, with mass, the procession and evenings in the village.

For somewhere to stay, choose between Sedilo, Ghilarza, Abbasanta and the villages around Lake Omodeo. A few kilometres away are the Losa nuraghe at Abbasanta, the Iloi complex in Sedilo's territory and the nuragic sanctuary of Santa Cristina at Paulilatino: a trip for the Ardia is a fine chance to discover the heart of Sardinia.