"S'Accabadora" is a figure from Sardinian culture. Until a few decades ago, euthanasia was practiced in Sardinia. It was the task of the female "accabbadora" to bring death to people in agony. Detailed studies and analyses of documentation found in Sardinian curiae, dioceses, and museums have confirmed the existence of this figure.
The "s'accabadora" was a woman who, called upon by the relatives of a terminally ill patient, would provide a compassionate death, ending their suffering. It was an act of mercy towards the dying person and also a necessary act for the survival of the family, especially for the less privileged social classes. In the rural areas of Gallura and in small towns far from a doctor, it served to avoid prolonged and excruciating suffering for the patient.
The "s'accabadora" would arrive at the house of the dying person always at night. After the family members who had called her had left, she would enter the room of death. The door would open, and the dying person, from their bed of agony, would see the "s'accabadora" dressed in black, with her face covered, and understand that their suffering was about to end.
The patient would be suffocated with a pillow, or the woman would deliver a blow with "su mazzolu" causing death. The "s'accabadora" would then leave quietly, as if she had completed a mission. The family members of the patient would express deep gratitude for the service she had rendered to their loved one, often offering her agricultural products in return.
Usually, the blow was directed at the forehead, which likely gives rise to the term "accabbadora," from the Spanish word "acabar" meaning to finish, literally giving a blow to the head.
"Su mazzolu" was a kind of specially constructed stick that can be seen in the Gallura Ethnographic Museum. It is a 40-centimeter-long and 20-centimeter-wide piece of olive wood, with a handle that allows for a secure and precise grip. The "su mazzolu" found in the Gallura museum was discovered in 1981. The "s'accabadora" had hidden it in a dry stone wall near an old farmhouse that had once been her home. The Su Mazzolu in questione see here is made from a single piece of wood (probably a fig tree) and is manageable and robust at the same time. It bears three notches engraved in the upper part, probably referring to the number of victims.
The practice of the "s'accabadora" existed in Sardinia until a few decades ago, mainly in the central-northern part of the island. The last known cases of "accabbadura" occurred in Luras in 1929 and in Orgosolo in 1952. In addition to documented cases, there are numerous stories passed down through oral tradition and family memories. Many people remember a grandfather or great-grandfather who had some connection with the woman dressed in black.
In Luras, in Gallura, the "s'accabadora" killed a 70-year-old man. The woman was not condemned, and the case was closed. The Carabinieri, the Public Prosecutor of Tempio Pausania, and the Church all agreed that it was a humanitarian act. In fact, everyone knew, and everyone remained silent. No condemnation seems to have ever been carried out against this missionary woman who physically and morally took it upon herself to end the suffering of the sick.
Her existence was always considered a natural fact. Just as there were midwives who assisted in childbirth, there was the "s'accabadora" who helped in dying. It is even said that they were often the same person, distinguished by the color of their clothing (black if bringing death, white or light if bringing life into the world).
This figure, representing a socio-cultural and historical phenomenon, is the practice of euthanasia. In the small rural communities of Sardinia, it was linked to the Sardinian approach to death. In the Sardinian community's culture, there has never been a real fear when facing the final moments of a person's life. It can be said that Sardinians had their own personal management of death, considering it a natural cycle of life.
