On the Golgo plateau, right in front of the country church of San Pietro in the municipality of Baunei, stands a baetyl made of dark basalt stone.
This monolithic block features a truncated-conical shape and is characterized by circular cavities carved into the upper part. The presence of the sculpture at this spot in the interior documents customs linked to the cult of sacred stones in the mountain areas of Ogliastra during Sardinian prehistory.
Unlike other artifacts of the same type that display human figures or anthropomorphic reliefs, the baetyl of Golgo features a well-polished surface with few essential traits. Originally, the stone was located near a cult site or a Nuragic burial in the area, where it played the role of a religious symbol tied to the guardianship of the territory, the memory of ancestors, and the protection of the local community of the era.
The connection between the monolith and the nearby archaeological remains indicates that the plateau was already used for gatherings and religious ceremonies during the Bronze Age. The final placement of the baetyl next to the Christian building demonstrates the continuous frequentation of the same place of worship over the centuries, keeping the sacred value of the space organized around the human-worked stone unchanged over time here.
