The cripta dei Sabariani

In February 2007, Enel undertook an excavation for the laying of cables in the southern part of Piazza Sabariani, in front of the entrance to the courtyard of the State Archive. Just below the paving stones, a masonry structure with plastered walls was found. The investigations made it possible to recognize at least three phases of the building brought to light:

1.  the first phase is represented by a long rectangular hall with a small apsidal room in the center of the eastern side and with two openings on the western wall. The building was covered with plaster decorated with frescoes, only a small part of which was identified and therefore not legible;
2.  the second phase involves infilling the niche on the west wall. A second cycle of frescoes decorates the room: these are the best preserved representations, among which the figure with a halo represented reclining stands out;
3.  the third phase sees the construction, between the east and west walls of the building, of a small wall structure, also plastered on the northern side, which closes the southern part of the hall, marking its abandonment.

The study of the frescoes indicates a dating to the 8th-9th century for the second phase. Presumably, following the earthquake of 1688 the building above the underground level, probably the church of San Marco, had to suffer serious structural damage. We do not know whether the barrel vault of the crypt collapsed at this time or whether it was voluntarily destroyed immediately afterwards, when it was decided not to rebuild the church in the same place.

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