Monthly Archives February 2015

A few words on the ‘Omu di Cagna’ ..                                                                        

Just above Monaccia d’Aullène, at the Punta d’Ovace which rises to 1340m, stands in equilibrium on a narrow granite base, an impressive boulder with a human form – the Omu di Cagna, impassive and powerful, staring at the plains which spread at its’ feet.

According to legend, the Rocapina lion would have told the Omu di Cagna: “Se tu guardi la muntagna, eu ti gardu la marina.” (if you watch over the mountain, I could watch over the sea).
Depending on how one looks at it, the Omu di Cagna takes the form of a human head or that of a phallus.

At the Col St Antoine, one can find the ruins of the Servite Convent. And, it was here that took place the “La Consulta di a Casabianca”, where Pasquale Paoli was named “Babbu di a Patria”.

In the early 19th century, the monastery was burned by the conventional Salicetti.Today, beautifully refurbished and fenced off, it no longer suffers from the hooves of our peaceful cows, unconcerned about the old stones who continue to contemplate them. A short distance from Viscuvatu, it is a place of silence and recollection, that contributes to making the island an exceptional garden.

It was on February 5th 1807, that the venerable old man, after an illness of only three days, surrendered his soul to God – in his 82nd year of age. He was born April 5th 1725, following the Latin inscription on his tomb and the English inscription on the pedestal of the Westminster bust. According to the desire he had expressed, he was buried without ceremony in the Catholic Church of St Pancras in London. His funeral, which took place on 13 February, that is, eight days after his death, barely cost 500 francs. Drs Burnaby and Giacomorsi who received the last breath of this illustrious man, chose a location in Westminster Abbey to erect a monument there, dominated by his bust.

An interesting spot for you, on the way to the Sanguinaires Islands and on the sea front, and where one can observe, admire and visit the ‘Our Lady of Mount Carmel’ chapel – otherwise known as the ‘Chapel of the Greeks’. Sunday mass is celebrated for those interested too. Having been abandoned over a long period of time, it was however returned to the church in 1972, whereupon important renovation was carried out a few years later in 1975 (due to the tercentenary of the arrival of the Greeks).

Way back in 1630, Pascal Emile Pozzo di Borgo, (who was commander of the guard of the Pope in Rome) decided to restore the building. Since the Middle Ages, it had become a sanctuary, facing the sea but also nestled in the ‘maquis’...