Agnone
Encyclopedia
Agnone is a city and comune
in the province of Isernia
, in the Molise
region of southern Italy
. Agnone is known for the manufacturing of bells by the Marinelli Bell Foundry. It is 22 miles northwest of Campobasso
. The city of Agnone (“Cittadina”) is complemented with other populated centers like Fontesambuco, Villa Canale and Rigaini. The first two are called Fractions (“frazioni”). They depend administratively on the “Comune” Agnone. The Comune is a mini administrative unit in Italy. Riagini is only a small village. Citizens of Agnone are referred to as Agnonesi.
Samnites consisted of several distinct tribes who existed in Samnium which was a wholly inland district of south central Italy. The Pentri
tribe of the Samnites was the most powerful and based in Bovianium, which was a city five miles north of present Agnone. Agnone is in the center of important archaeological vestiges of the old osco-sannita civilization and is sometimes called “the Athens of the Sannio” due to the large number of ancient ruins of the Samnitic culture. The name of Agnone derives from the old city of Aquilonia that was destroyed by the Romans. The Sannitas were annihilated at the time of Sulla by the consuls Carvilius and Lucius Papirius Cursor
in 293 B.C. Papirius, after making himself master of Aquilonia, which he burnt to the ground, proceeded to besiege Saepinum, on his way to Bovianum
.
) testifies that metal casting took place here for more than two thousand years ago. The Samnites spoke Osca and knowledge of the Oscan language is furnished on the small bronze tablet, which was discovered at Fonte di Romito, between Capracotta
and Agnone, in the year 1848. The place of discovery is near the river Sagrus or Sangro, this inscription may be regarded as exhibiting the most southerly dialect of the Samnito language. The table speaks of a series of dedications to different deities or heroes.
was spread to Molise. Agnone appears on Roman maps under different regions at various times as Aprutium, Picenum, Sabina et Samnium, Flaminia et Picenum and/or Campania et Samnium. The Roman penchant for building seems to have passed Agnone over as Samnitic architecture still prevailed.
, but then was left decaying in the centuries immediately preceding 1000, while the Verrino Valley and surrounding hills became a place of hermitages, monasteries and small agricultural colonies. In 1139 the powerful Borrello family, supported by soldiers of fortune
from Venice
, probably originating from colonies Dalmatia
n of the "Serenissima" took control of Agnone.
The importance of Agnone grew during the Angevin
and also in the Aragon
ese reigns to the point that during the reign of the Bourbon
s of the Two Sicilies, the city was among the 56 royal towns, that reported directly to the King, and was free from any other type of feudal subjection. Joseph Bonaparte
decided to create the region Molise, that was to exclude Agnone, but during the reign of Joachim Murat
, the elders of Agnone asked and obtained the transition to Molise, basing the request on the geographical difficulties of the links to Abruzzo
, and hoping to rise to a new role for the small region.
During this period, the natural resources surrounding Agnone impacted its economy where skilled craftsmen produced gold jewelry, copperware, watches, and bells. The town’s medieval-style architecture would be reflected in its fourteen churches, most notably Church of San Marco, with a large Renaissance portal embellished by a copper lion. In the 11th century Odorisio and Gualtiero Borrello, introduced the cult of Saint Mark and brought artists from Venice to decorate their homes with Saint Mark's lion. This church is adorned with great artwork including: rich altars, a painting of a Sacra Famiglia and Santi, by Luca Giordano; a precious obstensory in gilded copper and enamel, by Giovanni from Agnone, a disciple of Nicola from Guardiagrele. The church of Sant'Antonio Abate, has a Romanesque portal and a 17th century bell tower, and on the vault inside a giant fresco by Francesco Palumbo. Sant'Emidio has a 12th century portal and rich works of art including wooden painted statues that are taken out on Good Thursday and Friday for a re-enactment of the Last Supper. The church of Corso Garibaldi, is sided by ancient houses with stone lions near the doors (the lion is on Agnone coat of arms), ancient artisans' workshops, Apollonio house and Nuonno house. Church of San Francesco displays a giant round window over the portal, dated 1330. Inside, the Final Judgment on the vault is painted by Gambora. The Church of San Nicola, has a peculiar bell tower coated with yellow and green ceramic tiles. It is due to Agnone’s craftsmen and medieval architecture that the town adopted the nickname, “Citta dArte” (City of Art) which the town uses on a promotional basis.
of peasants from Agnone and concluded that the two main factors were excessive taxes on consumers' goods and usurious interest rates that at times surpassed 20 percent in the town.
The contadini or peasants were arrested for stealing the crops of the galantuomini ("gallant men" or ruling class), and a particularly frequent crime was the illegal cutting of timber on the town commons. In 1863, for example, the authorities actually prosecuted 624 cases of illegal felling of trees.
Consequently, when by the 1870s, owing to improvements in sea travel, a lowering of fares, and the expansive nature of the economies of both the United States and the Rio de la Plata
region of southern South America, transatlantic emigration became a viable alternative, the lower classes of Agnone were, out of a sense of desperation, prime candidates. Politically alienated by decades of unfulfilled promises of land reform, mired in endemic poverty, dependent on a rapacious class of galantuomini for what was, by any yardstick, a meager existence, the peasantry was further squeezed by relentless population increase throughout the first seven decades of the 19th century.
and the fascists came to power, they effectively put a stop to Italy’s out migration. During the Fascist regime, Agnone was the site of exile for many opponents of the regime, including Don Raimondo Viale, protagonist of "The Just Priest" by Nuto Revelli. The Germans sat up a concentration camp in Molise for gypsies where Father Viale tried to help them. The War would finally reach Agnone in December 1943, as the Allied Forces would land on Italy’s Adriatic coast and make their way northward and westward to Rome. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division
would drive the Germans and Fascists out of Molise, and on 2 and 3 December, the West Nova Scotia Regiment would billet in Agnone during the Ortona
offensive.
After the war, Agnone's out migration issues would continue, but more for reasons of economic availability. As international emigration declined, southern Italians migrated to industrial northern Italy for more promising economic prospects. Presently, Agnone’s population is still declining. As Molise is starting to find recognition as a tourist destination, Agnone is marketing itself on the agritourism
market and for its unique Pre-Roman and Medieval architecture.
This factory has a museum, where bells of almost a thousand years of antiquity to more recent others are displayed. It is also possible to observe the artisan process of the manufacturing of bells.
The factory was visited by the Pope John Paul II
in 1995 as many of the foundry’s bells can be found at the Vatican
.
Its geographic position has been described as ‘The natural capital of the Alto Molise’. Its territorial extension covers 9630 hectares made up of forests, pastures and agriculture land.
,” which is a huge torchlight parade of thousands of handmade, wooden torches made into nine different quarters ("borgate"), accompanied by the sound of bagpipes, to the Piazza Plebiscito where a brotherhood bonfire is lit.
The Fiera delle Arti e Mestieri Antichi (Arts and Antique Crafts Fair), is held 17 to 19 August where a large area of the old town home to artisans, display their works. Artisan’s crafts at the fair generally include goldsmiths, tinkers, tanners, wrought-iron, lace and embroidery.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Isernia
Province of Isernia
The Province of Isernia is a province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Isernia....
, in the Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
region of southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Agnone is known for the manufacturing of bells by the Marinelli Bell Foundry. It is 22 miles northwest of Campobasso
Campobasso
-Main sights:The main attraction of Campobasso is the Castello Monforte, built in 1450 by the local ruler Nicola II Monforte, over Lombard or Norman ruins. The castle has Guelph merlons and stands on a commanding point, where traces of ancient settlements have been found...
. The city of Agnone (“Cittadina”) is complemented with other populated centers like Fontesambuco, Villa Canale and Rigaini. The first two are called Fractions (“frazioni”). They depend administratively on the “Comune” Agnone. The Comune is a mini administrative unit in Italy. Riagini is only a small village. Citizens of Agnone are referred to as Agnonesi.
Samnites
The pre-RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Samnites consisted of several distinct tribes who existed in Samnium which was a wholly inland district of south central Italy. The Pentri
Pentri
The Pentri were a tribe of the Samnites, and apparently one of the most important of the subdivisions of that nation. Their capital city was Bovianum Undecumanorum The Pentri (Greek: ) were a tribe of the Samnites, and apparently one of the most important of the subdivisions of that nation. Their...
tribe of the Samnites was the most powerful and based in Bovianium, which was a city five miles north of present Agnone. Agnone is in the center of important archaeological vestiges of the old osco-sannita civilization and is sometimes called “the Athens of the Sannio” due to the large number of ancient ruins of the Samnitic culture. The name of Agnone derives from the old city of Aquilonia that was destroyed by the Romans. The Sannitas were annihilated at the time of Sulla by the consuls Carvilius and Lucius Papirius Cursor
Lucius Papirius Cursor
Lucius Papirius Cursor was a Roman general who was five times consul and twice dictator.In 325 BC he was appointed dictator to carry on the second Samnite War. His quarrel with Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, his magister equitum, is well known...
in 293 B.C. Papirius, after making himself master of Aquilonia, which he burnt to the ground, proceeded to besiege Saepinum, on his way to Bovianum
Bojano
Bojano or Boiano is a town and comune in the province of Campobasso, Molise, south central Italy.-History:Originally named Bovianum, it was settled by the 7th century BC. As the capital of the Pentri, a tribe of the Samnites, it played a major role in the Samnite Wars, as well as in the Social War,...
.
The Bronze Tablet of Agnone
Agnone also lays claim to the most important ancient Molise document: the ‘Oscan Table’(“Tabula Osca”), a bronze piece that contains letters of the old alphabet Osca, dating from the 3rd century BC (the original is in the British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
) testifies that metal casting took place here for more than two thousand years ago. The Samnites spoke Osca and knowledge of the Oscan language is furnished on the small bronze tablet, which was discovered at Fonte di Romito, between Capracotta
Capracotta
Capracotta is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 45 km northwest of Campobasso and about 25 km north of Isernia...
and Agnone, in the year 1848. The place of discovery is near the river Sagrus or Sangro, this inscription may be regarded as exhibiting the most southerly dialect of the Samnito language. The table speaks of a series of dedications to different deities or heroes.
Romans
During the Roman Period, ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
was spread to Molise. Agnone appears on Roman maps under different regions at various times as Aprutium, Picenum, Sabina et Samnium, Flaminia et Picenum and/or Campania et Samnium. The Roman penchant for building seems to have passed Agnone over as Samnitic architecture still prevailed.
Medieval
Agnone was an important center during the rule of the LombardsLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
, but then was left decaying in the centuries immediately preceding 1000, while the Verrino Valley and surrounding hills became a place of hermitages, monasteries and small agricultural colonies. In 1139 the powerful Borrello family, supported by soldiers of fortune
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, probably originating from colonies Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n of the "Serenissima" took control of Agnone.
The importance of Agnone grew during the Angevin
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
and also in the Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
ese reigns to the point that during the reign of the Bourbon
Pacte de Famille
The Pacte de Famille is one of three separate, but similar alliances between the Bourbon kings of France and Spain.- The first Pacte de Famille :...
s of the Two Sicilies, the city was among the 56 royal towns, that reported directly to the King, and was free from any other type of feudal subjection. Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
decided to create the region Molise, that was to exclude Agnone, but during the reign of Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
, the elders of Agnone asked and obtained the transition to Molise, basing the request on the geographical difficulties of the links to Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, and hoping to rise to a new role for the small region.
During this period, the natural resources surrounding Agnone impacted its economy where skilled craftsmen produced gold jewelry, copperware, watches, and bells. The town’s medieval-style architecture would be reflected in its fourteen churches, most notably Church of San Marco, with a large Renaissance portal embellished by a copper lion. In the 11th century Odorisio and Gualtiero Borrello, introduced the cult of Saint Mark and brought artists from Venice to decorate their homes with Saint Mark's lion. This church is adorned with great artwork including: rich altars, a painting of a Sacra Famiglia and Santi, by Luca Giordano; a precious obstensory in gilded copper and enamel, by Giovanni from Agnone, a disciple of Nicola from Guardiagrele. The church of Sant'Antonio Abate, has a Romanesque portal and a 17th century bell tower, and on the vault inside a giant fresco by Francesco Palumbo. Sant'Emidio has a 12th century portal and rich works of art including wooden painted statues that are taken out on Good Thursday and Friday for a re-enactment of the Last Supper. The church of Corso Garibaldi, is sided by ancient houses with stone lions near the doors (the lion is on Agnone coat of arms), ancient artisans' workshops, Apollonio house and Nuonno house. Church of San Francesco displays a giant round window over the portal, dated 1330. Inside, the Final Judgment on the vault is painted by Gambora. The Church of San Nicola, has a peculiar bell tower coated with yellow and green ceramic tiles. It is due to Agnone’s craftsmen and medieval architecture that the town adopted the nickname, “Citta dArte” (City of Art) which the town uses on a promotional basis.
Post-Unification
Garibaldi would unite all of Italy in the 1860s but Agnone would suffer significant decline in the post-unification years. In 1884 the local newspaper L'Aquilonia reviewed the causes of emigrationEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
of peasants from Agnone and concluded that the two main factors were excessive taxes on consumers' goods and usurious interest rates that at times surpassed 20 percent in the town.
The contadini or peasants were arrested for stealing the crops of the galantuomini ("gallant men" or ruling class), and a particularly frequent crime was the illegal cutting of timber on the town commons. In 1863, for example, the authorities actually prosecuted 624 cases of illegal felling of trees.
Consequently, when by the 1870s, owing to improvements in sea travel, a lowering of fares, and the expansive nature of the economies of both the United States and the Rio de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
region of southern South America, transatlantic emigration became a viable alternative, the lower classes of Agnone were, out of a sense of desperation, prime candidates. Politically alienated by decades of unfulfilled promises of land reform, mired in endemic poverty, dependent on a rapacious class of galantuomini for what was, by any yardstick, a meager existence, the peasantry was further squeezed by relentless population increase throughout the first seven decades of the 19th century.
World War II to Present
When Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and the fascists came to power, they effectively put a stop to Italy’s out migration. During the Fascist regime, Agnone was the site of exile for many opponents of the regime, including Don Raimondo Viale, protagonist of "The Just Priest" by Nuto Revelli. The Germans sat up a concentration camp in Molise for gypsies where Father Viale tried to help them. The War would finally reach Agnone in December 1943, as the Allied Forces would land on Italy’s Adriatic coast and make their way northward and westward to Rome. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division
1st Canadian Infantry Division
The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was a formation mobilized on 1 September 1939 for service in the Second World War. The division was also reactivated twice during the Cold War....
would drive the Germans and Fascists out of Molise, and on 2 and 3 December, the West Nova Scotia Regiment would billet in Agnone during the Ortona
Ortona
Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between German and Canadian forces during the Italian campaign in World War II...
offensive.
After the war, Agnone's out migration issues would continue, but more for reasons of economic availability. As international emigration declined, southern Italians migrated to industrial northern Italy for more promising economic prospects. Presently, Agnone’s population is still declining. As Molise is starting to find recognition as a tourist destination, Agnone is marketing itself on the agritourism
Agritourism
Agritourism, as it is defined most broadly, involves any agriculturally-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Agritourism has different definitions in different parts of the world, and sometimes refers specifically to farm stays, as in Italy...
market and for its unique Pre-Roman and Medieval architecture.
Pontifical Fonderia Marinelli
The Pontifical Fonderia Marinelli (the Marinelli Pontifical Foundry), an ancient factory of bells has been operating in Agnone for nearly a millennium. It ranks as one of the oldest companies in the world, where the Marinelli family has run the foundry for the last 1000 years.This factory has a museum, where bells of almost a thousand years of antiquity to more recent others are displayed. It is also possible to observe the artisan process of the manufacturing of bells.
The factory was visited by the Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1995 as many of the foundry’s bells can be found at the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
.
Geography
Agnone lies on a rocky spear in the mountainous regions of Molise (Alto Molise). Farms and country houses surround the city on altitudes varying from the 1386 m. above sea level at Monte Castelbarone to 370 m. of the Verrino River bed. The Sangro River also passes by Agnone.Its geographic position has been described as ‘The natural capital of the Alto Molise’. Its territorial extension covers 9630 hectares made up of forests, pastures and agriculture land.
Cultural Celebrations
On Christmas Eve Agnone holds the "Carnevale Agnonese" that holds a “NdocciataNdocciata
Ndocciata is an ancient Christmas festival celebrated in Molise, Italy, specifically in the city of Agnone. On the evening of December 24 the “Ndocciata” of Agnone is a parade of a great number of “‘ndocce” , structures with a typical fanwise shape, made of silver fir pinewood pallets. They may be...
,” which is a huge torchlight parade of thousands of handmade, wooden torches made into nine different quarters ("borgate"), accompanied by the sound of bagpipes, to the Piazza Plebiscito where a brotherhood bonfire is lit.
The Fiera delle Arti e Mestieri Antichi (Arts and Antique Crafts Fair), is held 17 to 19 August where a large area of the old town home to artisans, display their works. Artisan’s crafts at the fair generally include goldsmiths, tinkers, tanners, wrought-iron, lace and embroidery.
Notable Agnonesi
- Saint Francis CaraccioloFrancis CaraccioloSaint Francis Caracciolo , born Ascanio Pisquizio, was an Italian Catholic priest who co-founded the Congregation of the Minor Clerics Regular with Venerable John Augustine Adorno. He decided to adopt a religious life at the age of 22.-Biography:St Francis Caracciolo was born in Villa Santa Maria...
: Confessor, co-founder of the Congregation of the Minor Clerks Regular, born Abruzzo, Italy, 1563; died Agnone, Italy, 1608. He went to Naples in 1585 to study theology, and was ordained in 1587. He collaborated with John Augustine Adorno in drawing up rules for the Congregation, which was approved by Pope Sixtus V, 1588. Chosen general at Naples, 1593, he established houses in Rome, Madrid, Valladolid, and Alcala. Relics at Naples and San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome. Canonized, 1807. Feast, Roman Calendar, 4 June. - Maria Jonata, poet of the 15th century, author of poem the El Giardeno.
- Marcantonio Gualtieri lived between the 16th and 17th century, a famous medicine man who cured many nobles of the time and who fought the rampant scourge of the plague
- Matteo di Agnone (Prospero Lolli) religious CapuchinOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
(1563–1616). - Stefano di Stefano, was born in Agnone in 1665, man of law and literature, author of the work The Region Pastorale (Naples 1731).
- Baldassare Labanca (1829–1913) was University professor to the University of Padova, Pisa and Rome. Author of numerous publications on philosophy and religion,
- Giovanni Batiste Di Menna, former-friar CapuchinOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
that abandoned Catholicism to become an evangelical preacher to London in the 19th century. - Don Raimondo VialeRaimondo Viale"... resistance is a mature man's dowry, the man who rejects everything that is unjust, and rebels, rebels ... The Bible is full of resistance. Resistance is a sacred thing, is part of life that preserves life, and rejects everything that is contrary to human dignity and life itself " – The Just...
, protagonist of "The Just Priest"