Gentilino
Encyclopedia
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
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The local Church of Sant'Abbondio (not to be confused with the nearby Swiss municipality of Sant'Abbondio or the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio
Basilica of Sant'Abbondio
The Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is a church in Como, Lombardy, northern Italy.The current edifice rises over a pre-existing 5th century Palaeo-Christian church entitled to Sts. Peter and Paul, built by order of St. Amantius of Como, third bishop of the city. Erected c...
in Lombard, Italy) is noteworthy for dating from the eleventh century. The cemetery of Sant'Abbondio is the resting place of Hugo Ball
Hugo Ball
Hugo Ball was a German author, poet and one of the leading Dada artists.Hugo Ball was born in Pirmasens, Germany and was raised in a middle-class Catholic family. He studied sociology and philosophy at the universities of Munich and Heidelberg...
, Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
, and Herman Hesse. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
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In 2004 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Agra
Agra, Switzerland
Agra is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.In 2004 the municipality was merged with the other, neighboring municipalities Gentilino and Montagnola to form a new and larger municipality Collina d'Oro.-History:...
and Montagnola
Montagnola
Montagnola is a small Swiss village in Collina d'Oro municipality. Located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, it is close to the border between Switzerland and Italy. It looks over Lake Lugano and the city of Lugano upon it...
to form a new and larger municipality Collina d'Oro
Collina d'Oro
Collina d'Oro is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It was formed from the 2004 union of the villages of Agra, Gentilino, and Montagnola.-History:Gentilino is first mentioned in 1210 as Gentarino...
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History
Gentilino is first mentioned in 1210 as Gentarino'.In the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
Gentilino belonged to the royal court of Agnuzzo, which was donated in 818 by Emperor Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
to the clergy of Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
. During the 11th Century it belonged to the monastery of S. Abbondio in Como. The union of the monastic estates in 1335 probably led to the creation of the Concilium Sancti Abundii which included Gentilino and Viglio as well as Montagnola and the surrounding villages. In the early 18th Century, the village wanted to buy the monastery's rights to the village. However, this triggered a long-running dispute, in which the Canton was eventually involved.
It is believed that the church of S. Abbondio was the center of a medieval parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, which became a sub-parish in the 11th Century. However, the first written record of the church dates from 1140. The current appearance is due to an enlargement in the 17th Century.
In the past centuries, the population lived mainly from agriculture, but there were also a large exodus of builders (known as Maestranze). Recently, it has grown into a bedroom community for the nearby city of Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
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