CHEREMULE

Cheremule TODAY

The village of Cheremule (550 m. altitude) is situated in the crater of an ancient volcano, Monte Cuccuruddu (676 m. a.s.l.) from which's lava is obtained the valuable 'Cheremulite', a pumice stone quarried here up until a few years ago used in the building trade because of it's high insulating potency. In the village rises the parish church of San Gabriele Archangelo (Saint Gabriel Archangel) built in Gothic Aragonese style and, in the area known as Museddu the important Domus De Janas (ancient tombs) can be seen, with their prehistoric graffiti both inside and outside it's structure, which, according to many historians, represents tribal dance choreography.

The village territory extends mainly towards the Valle dei Nuraghi (Valley of the Nuraghes) the panorama is marked by the conspicuous presence of evergreen oak woodlands and by many 'pinnettas', small circular constructions made of laying dry stones on one another and a dome shaped roof covering.

Cheremule YESTERDAY

The territory is particularly rich of natural spring water, one of the most known springs is the Nurighe spring. Cheremule's surrounding countryside is also very rich with archeological evidence that confirms a strong presence of settlings that go back as far as the Neolithic era (4500 - 2500 b.c.) and are documented up to the medieval period. Of particular importance in the village territory is the presence of a stone age necropolis, consisting of important groups of Domus de Janas (so called fairies houses). Under this aspect the most important site is that of Museddu, where one can visit the Tomba Branca which was used again in the middle ages. Another important domus is the so called Tomba della Cava (the quarry tomb), which has engravings on the sides of it's entrance.
The built up area is immersed in green surroundings which extend to the plain, with the flourishing forest of Su Tippiri . A pine wood dominates the town buildings, from the slopes of the lifeless volcano.

The village's origins are medieval.
In the middle ages, ancient Cheremule was situated at about half a kilometer nearer Thiesi and at the foot of the actual built up area in a place called Santa Vittoria (Saint Victoria). The choice of the place-name was probably motivated by the presence of the now abandoned church of Saint Victoria. Up until the middle of the 19th century, near this church it was still possible to see traces of ancient homes. The building, at the end of 1500, of the new parish church in gothic Aragonese stile dedicated to the archangel Gabriel , makes believe that village of Saint Victoria was abandoned for the epidemic plagues of 1527-28 or 1580-83. In the 1589 census, there are registered 137 'fires', which corresponds to around 548 dwellers.

According to the popular traditions of Cheremule, the village of Saint Victoria was abandoned in order to escape from an epidemic of malaria, which was always dangerously present because of the marshland in the valley that lays below. The elderly people in the village affirm that the statue of Saint Victoria had been stolen by the inhabitants of Thiesi and taken to their own church, which is also dedicated to the same saint. Unfortunately, no remains of the castle of Cheremule, which still existed until the end of 1800, can be found.

A SCIENTIFIC INTEREST

The man from Nur, who lived about 300 thousand years ago in the territory of Cheremule, has brought this small village of the Meilogu (an area of the province of Sassari) to the attention of international scientists. At Nurighe, on the inside of a cave in the countryside of Cheremule, there has been found traces of the presence of a prehistoric dweller, which goes back to the later stone age.

This sensational discovery reinforces the theory that ancient man reached Europe from Africa by passing through Sardinia.

Named Nur by the research workers in the University of Sassari, the ancient dweller has left a sign in the history of the human race in Sardinia; from the apes to the homo erectus, of which near Porto Torres there have been found the first traces. The primitive man has partly overturned the existing researches on the presence of the human race on the island of Sardinia. He probably reached Sardinia over a million years ago by crossing the sea from north Africa. Researchers are now searching for the skull and bones that can confirm this theory, to establish whether it is the case to talk seriously about Nur being the first Sardinian man.