Mondovì
Encyclopedia
Mondovì is a town and comune
(township) of Piedmont
, northern Italy
, located c. 80 km from Turin
.
The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several rioni (ancient quarters): Piazza (the most ancient), Breo, Pian della Valle, Carassone, Borgato and Rinchiuso, lower, next to the Ellero stream, developed from the 18th century when industries developed in Mondovì and when it was reached by the railway.
The Funicolare di Mondovì
, a recently reopened funicular railway
in the town, links Breo with Piazza.
It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì
. It is also the home of the Academia Montis Regalis orchestra led by conductor Alessandro De Marchi
.
), Vasco (now Monastero di Vasco
) and Carassone (which was abandoned after the founding of the new city): an independent comune named Ël Mont ëd Vi, meaning "The Mount of Vico" in Piedmontese
, was formed.
Their independence proved to be short lived because the bishop of Asti and the marquis of Ceva stormed it in 1200 and destroyed it in 1231. The commune resisted, however, and the following year it was able to sustain another attack from Asti
. In 1260 it was occupied by Charles I of Anjou (then King of Naples and one of the most powerful landlords in Provence and north-western Italy), while in 1274 it returned under the bishops of Asti. In 1290 he was however able to buy back its communal independence, under the new name of Mons Regalis ("Royal Mount") due to its large privileges. In 1305 it fell again under the Angevines
, followed by the Visconti, the marquisate of Montferrat, The Acaja and, from 1418, the House of Savoy
.
Mondovì continued to grow until the 16th century when it was the largest city in Piedmont
. In 1537 it was occupied by France
, under which it mostly remained until 1559. In 1560, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
restored it to Piedmont, which held it until the Italian unification
, apart from the Napoleonic period
(1796-1814).
Piedmont's first printing press was created in Mondovì in 1472. From 1560 to 1566, Mondovì was the seat of Piedmont's first university.
Nearby is the Baroque sanctuary of Vicoforte
.
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:...
(township) of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, northern 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...
, located c. 80 km from Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several rioni (ancient quarters): Piazza (the most ancient), Breo, Pian della Valle, Carassone, Borgato and Rinchiuso, lower, next to the Ellero stream, developed from the 18th century when industries developed in Mondovì and when it was reached by the railway.
The Funicolare di Mondovì
Funicolare di Mondovì
The Funicolare di Mondovì, or Mondovì funicular, is a funicular railway in the town of Mondovì, Piedmont, Italy. It links Breo, the old quarter,with Piazza, the upper part of the town....
, a recently reopened funicular railway
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
in the town, links Breo with Piazza.
It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì
Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì
The Italian Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì is a Catholic diocese in the Ecclesiastical Region of Piedmont. Its 192 parishes are divided between the Province of Savona in the region Liguria and the Province of Cuneo in the region Piedmont...
. It is also the home of the Academia Montis Regalis orchestra led by conductor Alessandro De Marchi
Alessandro De Marchi
Alessandro De Marchi is an Italian conductor, best known for his interpretation of baroque oratorios and operas, as leader of the Academia Montis Regalis orchestra, and director of the orchestra's foundation in Mondovì, Mons Regalis, one of the oldest towns of Piedmont. He was a student of the...
.
History
Founded on a hilltop in 1198 by survivors of the destroyed village of Bredolo and by inhabitants of the neighboring villages of Vico (now VicoforteVicoforte
Vicoforte is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in Italy. It is located in Val Corsaglia above sea level, 32 km east of Cuneo and 6 km from Mondovì....
), Vasco (now Monastero di Vasco
Monastero di Vasco
Monastero di Vasco is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 20 km east of Cuneo...
) and Carassone (which was abandoned after the founding of the new city): an independent comune named Ël Mont ëd Vi, meaning "The Mount of Vico" in Piedmontese
Piedmontese language
Piedmontese is a Romance language spoken by over 2 million people in Piedmont, northwest Italy. It is geographically and linguistically included in the Northern Italian group . It is part of the wider western group of Romance languages, including French, Occitan, and Catalan.Many European and...
, was formed.
Their independence proved to be short lived because the bishop of Asti and the marquis of Ceva stormed it in 1200 and destroyed it in 1231. The commune resisted, however, and the following year it was able to sustain another attack from Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
. In 1260 it was occupied by Charles I of Anjou (then King of Naples and one of the most powerful landlords in Provence and north-western Italy), while in 1274 it returned under the bishops of Asti. In 1290 he was however able to buy back its communal independence, under the new name of Mons Regalis ("Royal Mount") due to its large privileges. In 1305 it fell again under the Angevines
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...
, followed by the Visconti, the marquisate of Montferrat, The Acaja and, from 1418, the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
.
Mondovì continued to grow until the 16th century when it was the largest city in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. In 1537 it was occupied by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, under which it mostly remained until 1559. In 1560, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
Emmanuel Philibert was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580....
restored it to Piedmont, which held it until the Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
, apart from the Napoleonic period
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
(1796-1814).
Piedmont's first printing press was created in Mondovì in 1472. From 1560 to 1566, Mondovì was the seat of Piedmont's first university.
Main sights
- Church of San Francesco Saverio (1664-1678), with works by Andrea PozzoAndrea PozzoAndrea Pozzo was an Italian Jesuit Brother, Baroque painter and architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. He was best known for his grandiose frescoes using illusionistic technique called quadratura, in which architecture and fancy are intermixed...
. - Cathedral of San Donato, designed by Francesco Gallo.
- Santa Croce Chapel, with a GothicGothic artGothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
fresco cycle. - Medieval walls and towers (12th century).
- Piazza Maggiore (Main Square, 14th-16th century), in GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style . - Church of Santa Chiara.
- Church of the Misericordia (1708-1717), designed by Francesco Gallo.
- Convent of Nostra Donna.
- Palazzo Fauzone.
- Chapel of San Rocco delle Carceri.
- Chapel of San Borgato delle Forche, with notable Gothic paintings.
Nearby is the Baroque sanctuary of Vicoforte
Sanctuary of Vicoforte
The Santuario di Vicoforte is a monumental church located in the commune of Vicoforte, province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is known for having the largest elliptical cupola in Europe.- History :...
.
Notable people
Mondovì is the birthplace of- Giovanni Battista BeccariaGiovanni Battista BeccariaGiovanni Battista Beccaria , Italian physicist, was born at Mondovì, and entered the religious order of the Pious Schools in 1732, where he studied, and afterward taught, grammar and rhetoric...
(1716–1781), physicist - Giovanni GiolittiGiovanni GiolittiGiovanni Giolitti was an Italian statesman. He was the 19th, 25th, 29th, 32nd and 37th Prime Minister of Italy between 1892 and 1921. A left-wing liberal, Giolitti's periods in office were notable for the passage of a wide range of progressive social reforms which improved the living standards of...
(1842–1928), five-time Prime Minister of ItalyPrime minister of ItalyThe Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic... - Francis VigoFrancis VigoFrancis Vigo was an Italian-American who aided the American forces during the Revolutionary War and helped found a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, USA....
(1747-1836) fur trader, American Revolutionary War hero