Castropignano
Encyclopedia
Castropignano is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Campobasso
in the Italian
region Molise
, located about 10 km northwest of Campobasso
.
It is home to a medieval castle, the Castello d'Evoli, built in the mid-14th century, perhaps over the remains of a Samnite
fortress.
Castropignano is a small town situated at an elevation of 620 meters (2034 ft) above sea level in the Molise
region in the Province of Campobasso
. Because of its elevation it is often referred to as the "Balcony Over The Biferno River Valley". From the town one could see a picturesque panoramic view of the surrounding towns and hillsides. For comparison purposes, the Niagara Region is at an approximate elevation of 600 feet above sea level and thousands of miles away from the sea, while Castropignano at an elevation of 2034 ft is less than twenty miles away from the sea.
The history book written by Raffaele Sardella states that the beginning of Castropignano occurred during the Iron Age
(1000 BC) when two tribes occupied two hills because it provided better defense and security. The two initial tribes occupied the hills that are now called "Colle" and "Trivecchia". At the place of the castle was a fortress where the population would gather during perilous times or times when the defense requirements reached to an extreme level. It was quite common for the Italic peoples of this age to live in open villages, to which a fortress (usually a hill-top with a rough fence of pointed stakes) might be attached as a place of refuge. Two main branches of dialects developed, the "Umbrian" of the north and the "Oscan" of the southern Apennine districts.
During the time of the Romans
and the Samnites
, Castropignano was surrounded by a wall with a primary and a secondary entrance. The Samnites were people of central southern Italy
, a hardy race of shepherds and farmers with no marked differences in wealth and consequently without a distinct governing class. The Romans
had at least three wars with these people of the mountains and they learned some hard lessons, in fact they had to reform their military methods in order to overtake and claim a victory in the year 290. The first Samnite war (343 – 341 BC) resulted in Roman control of northern Campania; the second (327 – 321, 316 – 304 BC) prevented Samnite control of Apulia
, Lucania
, and southern Campania; the third (298 – 290 BC) involved and decided the destiny of all peninsular Italy
. The Samnites continued to fight in the Social War
and the Civil against Sulla (138 – 78 BC), a Roman general, provincial governor and consul who was proclaimed dictator
and was deposed three years later. He slaughtered all the Samnite he could. He, after having numerous battles observed that the Samnite, almost without exception, remained in one body, and with one sole intention, so that they had even marched upon Rome
itself, given them battle under the walls, and as he had issued orders to take no prisoners, many of them were cut to pieces on the field, while the remainder, said to be about three to four thousand men, who threw up their arms, were led off to the Villa Publica in the Campus Martius
, and were shut in; three days after soldiers were sent in who massacred the whole; and when Sulla drew up his conscription list, he did not rest satisfied until he had destroyed, or driven from Italy, every one who bore a Samnite name. To those who reproached him for his animosity, he replied that he had learned by experience that not a single Roman
could rest in peace so long as any of the Samnites survived.
Written accounts in the history of the area make it clear that during the 80 years of war between the Samnites and the Romans
the area around the location of the town was found to be at the centre of destruction and many bloody battles. During the year 294 BC the town had the Roman
name, "Palumbinum" ( This reference was found in Book 10, Chapter 45 of the Story of Rome by, Tito Livio
After unifying Italy Augustus
( 63 BC - 14 AD), Rome's first emperor divided it into eleven administrative districts. One of the districts [ known today as eastern Campania, Molise
; Abruzzo
] was inhabited by Samnites, Fretani, Marrucini
, Marsi
, Pelogni, Aequiculli, Vestini
and Sabini. The Castropignano area was occupied by a Roman Consulate called Lucio Spurio Carvillo, whose Latin name was Castrum or Castra Pineani. The Romans brought slavery and taxes. For years after the coming of Jesus Christ, the Romans continued to bring fear to the Samnites and for that reason they frequently kept in hiding. This was powerfully demonstrated on the walls of the Roman Sepino (Atilia di Sepino). Except for the Samnites, no one was capable of an attack on Imperial Rome during the first century AD. A Samnite named Pentri, because of his strength and courage as a gladiator and later because of his military contribution to the extension of the Roman Empire
, was made a citizen of Rome.
With all probability, our faith in Christ Jesus came through our ancestors directly from Rome because half of the Samnite
and Roman legions had converted to the new religion. The barbaric states of Longobardy, Normans
, and Bulgarians
had difficulty attracting themselves to any union because of religious differences. Since the year 1000/1200 the Castropignano area was directly connected to the Holy See
and as time passed it became a dependent member of the Diocese of Trivento.
After the fall of the Roman Empire
(around 476 AD), Castropignano was inhabited by a colony of Bulgarians who were similar in behaviour and conduct to the Slavs and Czechs. During that time a Bulgarian chief priest lived in the town and this influence from outside the town created a new class of people. Whoever entered the town from a neighboring town was welcome and was exempted from punishment for no matter what offense that he had done in the other town. For this reason the Bulgarians
dominated Castropignano and at that time people referred to the town as "Castropignano of the Bulgarians
who triumph with all the bad habits of hoodlums". The result was that during the eight centuries to the year 1000 two languages were spoken in Castropignano, Italian dialect and Bulgarian
.
In the year 1114 a person named Gulielmo became known. His last name was not known because in those days it was customary to drop the family name and then to become known by the place of origin. For example, Leonardo da Vinci
meant Leonardo from the town of Vinci. Gulielmo's first male descendant was called "Vito di Castropignano" or Vito of Castropignano. Vito had two daughters. Tomasia was married to Petrillo Minutolo and the second daughter named Claricia was married to Giovanni D'Evoli, baron of Frosolone
. An argument developed between Minutolo and D'Evoli. Eventually D'Evoli paid Minutolo off so that he could become the baron
of Castropignano. The D'Evoli family had obtained the title of Duke
of Castropignano to the end of the family line, about the year 1800.
in the Story of Rome where a war with the Samnites
was described are the same place. Ziccardi also concluded in his thesis that Palombinum in the dialect day-to-day language of the Samnites
at that time meant "a fortress". The fact that Castropignano was a fortified place is demonstrated by a natural defensive wall that exists with the rock "La Fata". The remains of this rock wall show that during the period of the Samnite
wars, the natural position of the town and the North-West position of the castle was perfect for defensive purposes. Tito Livio
described the conquest of Palombinum [Year 459 of Rome (294 AD)] with the words, "Carvilio has already occupied Velia (it is questionable whether Velia meant Torella del Sanio, Casalchiprano, or S. Angelo Limosano), Palumbino and Herculaneum (it is questionable whether Herculaneum could be Campobasso
or Oratino
). Velia was taken in a few days and within the end of this day the wall of Palombinum will be taken".
Tito Livio
writes that Palombino (Castropignano) opened the door to the Romans
without any resistance. So, Castropignano, even with its surrounding wall and with its natural position, could not fashion any absolute pressure during the one-day siege. It can be argued then, that the inhabitants were stopped without a battle because of the large number of deaths they had suffered in a previous war or because with the fall of Herculaneum
and Velia
, they felt that they had lost their support so it was futile to offer any resistance.
Other studies into the history have written that Castropignano was actually derived from "Castra Pinaria", others say that it was derived from "Castra Pugnarum". Casa Pinara indicated a fortress or a fortified place for defensive purposes and was governed by a Roman military family called Pinaria. Each of the two words in "Castra Pugnarium" has a special meaning. Castra meant "a fortified place" while Pugnarium meant "an area of bloody confrontations" between the Samnites and the Romans. Early writings of a woman called Carmela Ciamarra describe an early plan of Castropignano presented by a monk from Limosano
called Zagomo Iacovone to a Roman consul named "Castrum Pineani".
It can be concluded then that Castropignano was called:
Finally, documentation in the parochial archives of Chiesa Madre, the main church of Castropignano, exists a baptismal registration signed by a Carlo Borsella, who was bursar and parish priest of the town "Castri Pineani" in the year 1840. Since the church always operated in the Latin language, all writings were in Latin
and so the town was referred to as "Castri Pineani". The final reasoning that explains why Pineani appears in the parochial register is that he was born a Roman consul and it was highly probable that the Romans abolished the Palombinum name and adopted the name Castrum or Castra Pineani which meant the "Fortress of Pineano". Over the years Pineano transformed to Pagnano and finally "Castro Pignano". Members of an immigrant family with the surname "Castelpagnano", now residing in San Jose California, are descendants of the Roman Consul Pineano
.
contains three towers encircled by a wall with one door. On each side of the fortress is a letter "C" and "P". The letters indicate the name "Castrum Pineani" the Roman Consul
stationed in the area at that time.
An older design of the crest can be found in the church of San Salvatore, on the left side when you enter the church. The three towers indicate the three old fortresses that existed in the old days, Trivecchia, Colle, and Castello.
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:...
(municipality) in the Province of Campobasso
Province of Campobasso
The Province of Campobasso is a province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Campobasso.It has an area of 2,909 km², and a total population of 230,692...
in the Italian
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...
region 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...
, located about 10 km 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...
.
It is home to a medieval castle, the Castello d'Evoli, built in the mid-14th century, perhaps over the remains of a Samnite
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
fortress.
Castropignano is a small town situated at an elevation of 620 meters (2034 ft) above sea level 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 in the Province of Campobasso
Province of Campobasso
The Province of Campobasso is a province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Campobasso.It has an area of 2,909 km², and a total population of 230,692...
. Because of its elevation it is often referred to as the "Balcony Over The Biferno River Valley". From the town one could see a picturesque panoramic view of the surrounding towns and hillsides. For comparison purposes, the Niagara Region is at an approximate elevation of 600 feet above sea level and thousands of miles away from the sea, while Castropignano at an elevation of 2034 ft is less than twenty miles away from the sea.
The history book written by Raffaele Sardella states that the beginning of Castropignano occurred during the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(1000 BC) when two tribes occupied two hills because it provided better defense and security. The two initial tribes occupied the hills that are now called "Colle" and "Trivecchia". At the place of the castle was a fortress where the population would gather during perilous times or times when the defense requirements reached to an extreme level. It was quite common for the Italic peoples of this age to live in open villages, to which a fortress (usually a hill-top with a rough fence of pointed stakes) might be attached as a place of refuge. Two main branches of dialects developed, the "Umbrian" of the north and the "Oscan" of the southern Apennine districts.
During the time of the Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and the Samnites
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
, Castropignano was surrounded by a wall with a primary and a secondary entrance. The Samnites were people of central 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...
, a hardy race of shepherds and farmers with no marked differences in wealth and consequently without a distinct governing class. The Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
had at least three wars with these people of the mountains and they learned some hard lessons, in fact they had to reform their military methods in order to overtake and claim a victory in the year 290. The first Samnite war (343 – 341 BC) resulted in Roman control of northern Campania; the second (327 – 321, 316 – 304 BC) prevented Samnite control of Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Lucania
Lucania
Lucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
, and southern Campania; the third (298 – 290 BC) involved and decided the destiny of all peninsular 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...
. The Samnites continued to fight in the Social War
Social War
The Allied War was a war waged from 91 to 88 BC between the Roman Republic and several of the other cities in Italy, which prior to the war had been Roman allies for centuries.-Origins:The Early Italian campaigns saw the Roman conquest of Italy...
and the Civil against Sulla (138 – 78 BC), a Roman general, provincial governor and consul who was proclaimed dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
and was deposed three years later. He slaughtered all the Samnite he could. He, after having numerous battles observed that the Samnite, almost without exception, remained in one body, and with one sole intention, so that they had even marched upon Rome
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
itself, given them battle under the walls, and as he had issued orders to take no prisoners, many of them were cut to pieces on the field, while the remainder, said to be about three to four thousand men, who threw up their arms, were led off to the Villa Publica in the Campus Martius
Campus Martius
The Campus Martius , was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome...
, and were shut in; three days after soldiers were sent in who massacred the whole; and when Sulla drew up his conscription list, he did not rest satisfied until he had destroyed, or driven from Italy, every one who bore a Samnite name. To those who reproached him for his animosity, he replied that he had learned by experience that not a single Roman
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
could rest in peace so long as any of the Samnites survived.
Written accounts in the history of the area make it clear that during the 80 years of war between the Samnites and the Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
the area around the location of the town was found to be at the centre of destruction and many bloody battles. During the year 294 BC the town had the Roman
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
name, "Palumbinum" ( This reference was found in Book 10, Chapter 45 of the Story of Rome by, Tito Livio
Discourses on Livy
The Discourses on Livy is a work of political history and philosophy written in the early 16th century by the Italian writer and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli, best known as the author of The Prince...
After unifying Italy Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
( 63 BC - 14 AD), Rome's first emperor divided it into eleven administrative districts. One of the districts [ known today as eastern Campania, 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...
; 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...
] was inhabited by Samnites, Fretani, Marrucini
Marrucini
The Marrucini were an ancient tribe which occupied a small strip of territory around the ancient Teate , on the east coast of Abruzzo, Italy, limited by the Aterno and Foro Rivers...
, Marsi
Marsi
Marsi is the Latin exonym for a people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus, drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century. The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. During the Roman Republic the people of the region spoke a...
, Pelogni, Aequiculli, Vestini
Vestini
Vestini is the Roman exonym for an ancient Italic tribe that occupied the area of the modern Abruzzo included between the Gran Sasso and the northern bank of the Aterno river...
and Sabini. The Castropignano area was occupied by a Roman Consulate called Lucio Spurio Carvillo, whose Latin name was Castrum or Castra Pineani. The Romans brought slavery and taxes. For years after the coming of Jesus Christ, the Romans continued to bring fear to the Samnites and for that reason they frequently kept in hiding. This was powerfully demonstrated on the walls of the Roman Sepino (Atilia di Sepino). Except for the Samnites, no one was capable of an attack on Imperial Rome during the first century AD. A Samnite named Pentri, because of his strength and courage as a gladiator and later because of his military contribution to the extension of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, was made a citizen of Rome.
With all probability, our faith in Christ Jesus came through our ancestors directly from Rome because half of the Samnite
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
and Roman legions had converted to the new religion. The barbaric states of Longobardy, Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, and Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
had difficulty attracting themselves to any union because of religious differences. Since the year 1000/1200 the Castropignano area was directly connected to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and as time passed it became a dependent member of the Diocese of Trivento.
After the fall of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
(around 476 AD), Castropignano was inhabited by a colony of Bulgarians who were similar in behaviour and conduct to the Slavs and Czechs. During that time a Bulgarian chief priest lived in the town and this influence from outside the town created a new class of people. Whoever entered the town from a neighboring town was welcome and was exempted from punishment for no matter what offense that he had done in the other town. For this reason the Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
dominated Castropignano and at that time people referred to the town as "Castropignano of the Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
who triumph with all the bad habits of hoodlums". The result was that during the eight centuries to the year 1000 two languages were spoken in Castropignano, Italian dialect and Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
.
In the year 1114 a person named Gulielmo became known. His last name was not known because in those days it was customary to drop the family name and then to become known by the place of origin. For example, Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
meant Leonardo from the town of Vinci. Gulielmo's first male descendant was called "Vito di Castropignano" or Vito of Castropignano. Vito had two daughters. Tomasia was married to Petrillo Minutolo and the second daughter named Claricia was married to Giovanni D'Evoli, baron of Frosolone
Frosolone
Frosolone is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 20 km west of Campobasso and about 20 km east of Isernia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,330 and an area of 49.6 km²...
. An argument developed between Minutolo and D'Evoli. Eventually D'Evoli paid Minutolo off so that he could become the baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
of Castropignano. The D'Evoli family had obtained the title of Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Castropignano to the end of the family line, about the year 1800.
Etymology
The name Castropignano appeared for the first time in a thesis written by Michelangelo Ziccardi, a Molisan archeologist. Ziccardi supports the theory that Castropignano as it is known today and the place Palombinum that is mentioned by Tito LivioDiscourses on Livy
The Discourses on Livy is a work of political history and philosophy written in the early 16th century by the Italian writer and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli, best known as the author of The Prince...
in the Story of Rome where a war with the Samnites
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
was described are the same place. Ziccardi also concluded in his thesis that Palombinum in the dialect day-to-day language of the Samnites
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
at that time meant "a fortress". The fact that Castropignano was a fortified place is demonstrated by a natural defensive wall that exists with the rock "La Fata". The remains of this rock wall show that during the period of the Samnite
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
wars, the natural position of the town and the North-West position of the castle was perfect for defensive purposes. Tito Livio
Discourses on Livy
The Discourses on Livy is a work of political history and philosophy written in the early 16th century by the Italian writer and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli, best known as the author of The Prince...
described the conquest of Palombinum [Year 459 of Rome (294 AD)] with the words, "Carvilio has already occupied Velia (it is questionable whether Velia meant Torella del Sanio, Casalchiprano, or S. Angelo Limosano), Palumbino and Herculaneum (it is questionable whether Herculaneum could be 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...
or Oratino
Oratino
Oratino is a comune in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about 7 km west of Campobasso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,326 and an area of 18.0 km²....
). Velia was taken in a few days and within the end of this day the wall of Palombinum will be taken".
Tito Livio
Discourses on Livy
The Discourses on Livy is a work of political history and philosophy written in the early 16th century by the Italian writer and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli, best known as the author of The Prince...
writes that Palombino (Castropignano) opened the door to the Romans
Ancient 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....
without any resistance. So, Castropignano, even with its surrounding wall and with its natural position, could not fashion any absolute pressure during the one-day siege. It can be argued then, that the inhabitants were stopped without a battle because of the large number of deaths they had suffered in a previous war or because with the fall of Herculaneum
Herculaneum
Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in AD 79, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano, in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mt...
and Velia
Velia
Velia is the Italian name of the ancient town of Elea located on the territory of the comune of Ascea, Salerno, Campania, Italy in a geographical sub-area named Cilento...
, they felt that they had lost their support so it was futile to offer any resistance.
Other studies into the history have written that Castropignano was actually derived from "Castra Pinaria", others say that it was derived from "Castra Pugnarum". Casa Pinara indicated a fortress or a fortified place for defensive purposes and was governed by a Roman military family called Pinaria. Each of the two words in "Castra Pugnarium" has a special meaning. Castra meant "a fortified place" while Pugnarium meant "an area of bloody confrontations" between the Samnites and the Romans. Early writings of a woman called Carmela Ciamarra describe an early plan of Castropignano presented by a monk from Limosano
Limosano
Limosano is a comune in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about 14 km northwest of Campobasso...
called Zagomo Iacovone to a Roman consul named "Castrum Pineani".
It can be concluded then that Castropignano was called:
- "Palumbinum" during the time of the Samnite wars
- "Castrum Pineani" during the time occupied by the Romans
- "Castro Pignano" in the medieval time period
Finally, documentation in the parochial archives of Chiesa Madre, the main church of Castropignano, exists a baptismal registration signed by a Carlo Borsella, who was bursar and parish priest of the town "Castri Pineani" in the year 1840. Since the church always operated in the Latin language, all writings were in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and so the town was referred to as "Castri Pineani". The final reasoning that explains why Pineani appears in the parochial register is that he was born a Roman consul and it was highly probable that the Romans abolished the Palombinum name and adopted the name Castrum or Castra Pineani which meant the "Fortress of Pineano". Over the years Pineano transformed to Pagnano and finally "Castro Pignano". Members of an immigrant family with the surname "Castelpagnano", now residing in San Jose California, are descendants of the Roman Consul Pineano
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
.
The crest of Castropignano
The crestCrest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
contains three towers encircled by a wall with one door. On each side of the fortress is a letter "C" and "P". The letters indicate the name "Castrum Pineani" the Roman Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
stationed in the area at that time.
An older design of the crest can be found in the church of San Salvatore, on the left side when you enter the church. The three towers indicate the three old fortresses that existed in the old days, Trivecchia, Colle, and Castello.
- NOTE: The history book by Raffaele Sardella makes no reference as to the origin and meaning of the crown above the three towers that is now present on the town crest.