Guardia Piemontese
Encyclopedia
Guardia Piemontese is a town and comune
in the province of Cosenza
in the Calabria
region of southern Italy
.
at the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
. Its neighbouring municipalities are Acquappesa
, Cetraro
, Fuscaldo
and Mongrassano
. Guardia is an Occitan linguistic enclave.
s, ravaging the coast. Guardia used to be called Guardia Fiscaldi after the local competent feudal vassals Fiscaldo/Fuscaldo originating from Fuscaldo
. After the settlement of Waldensian refugees of Occitan language the place name was Guardia dei Valdi. After their suppression the name was Guardia Lombarda and was changed to its present name in 1863.
During the 12th-13th centuries Waldensians arrived in Calabria fleeing from the inquisition
in the areas of Bobbio Pellice
and Torre Pellice
, in what is now Piedmont
. As of 1375 they also settled on the mountain 500 m above the sea which is now the upper town of Guardia. By 1315 Waldensians had settled already in Montalto Uffugo
, later also in San Sosti dei Valdesi
, Vacarizzo
, Argentina und San Vincenzo
. The local feudal vassals of the Spinelli
family, being lords of Fuscaldo, granted them refuge. For a long period the Waldensians pretended living like Catholics, attended the Holy Mass, had their children baptised in the Catholic churches. However, privately they stuck to their belief, received travelling Waldensian preachers for few days in intervalls of about two years.
With the successes of the Reformation
many secret Waldensians came to the opinion not to hide their belief any longer. In 1532 they decided on their Synod in Chanforan (Piedmont) to confess their belief publicly. Thereupon Calabrese Waldensians sent Marco Uscegli as envoy to Geneva
with the request to dispatch preachers. Thus the preacher Gian Luigi Pascale came to Calabria, who established Waldensians churches in Guardia Piemontese and San Sosti. The Waldensians in their traditional areas in Piedmont did the same. The locally competent Bishop of Mondovì
there, Cardinal Michele Ghislieri
, then initiated a crusade against the Waldensians in 1560.
The Calabrese Roman Catholic Abbot Giovan Antonio Anania informed Ghislieri that the Waldensians in Calabria had meanwhile also adopted preachers of their own. So Ghislieri odered the abbot to eradicate the Waldensian heresy
in coordination with his local archbishop of Cosenza
, Taddeo Gaddi. First Anania tried to urge the Waldensians to convert by threats. However, they refused. Having a sense of foreboding many Waldensians from neighbouring places fled to Guardia which was fortified. Guardia's lord Salvatore Spinelli (about 1506–5 October 1565) tried to make the Waldensians relent and advised Pascale and Uscegli to flee, but in vain.
Spinelli, who feared to be blamed for favouring heretics, finally resorted to a trickery. In June 1561 he requested for him and 50 of his men entry to the town pretending they would come unarmed. Loyal to their lord the Guardioti let them in. In the night between 4 and 5 June Spinelli and his henchmen popped their hidden weapons and seized the town with violence. By doing so and at further pogrom
s in the following two weeks Spinelli and his henchmen murdered about 2,000 Waldensians in Guardia Piemontese and other places.
This bloodshed is commemorated by the name of the main town gate, Porta del Sangue (blood gate), because it was said that the blood of the murdered flowed all the way down to it. Next to the town gate there is now the Centro di Cultura Giovan Luigi Pascale which shows an exhibition on the history of the Waldensians of Guardia.
The survivors of the massacre had to convert to Roman Catholicism. Marriages between spouses both of Waldensians descent were forbidden. Spioncini, spyholes to be opened from the outside, were to be built into the frontdoors in order to allow inquisitors to spy into the houses and check whether the compulsory converts really abstain from Waldensian traditions. Some spioncini can still be found in frontdoors. The Waldensian church was demolished. On its site, today's Piazza Chiesa Valdese, a piece of rock from Piedmont has been put in 1975, donated by Guardia's twin city Torre Pellice in memory of the descent of many Guardioti from the Piedmontese rocky Alps. The names of 118 known victims of the 1561 massacre are listed in a plaque at the rock.
In memory of the eradication of Waldensian heresy Salvatore Spinelli donated the Dominican
church Chiesa del SS. Rosario
in Guardia. In April 1565 he was created Marchese of Fuscaldo in honour of his deed.
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 Cosenza
Province of Cosenza
The Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
in the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
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...
.
Location and language
Guardia Piemontese is located about 55 km northwest of CosenzaCosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
at the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
. Its neighbouring municipalities are Acquappesa
Acquappesa
Acquappesa is a town and comune in the Province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Italy....
, Cetraro
Cetraro
Cetraro is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.- Waste dumping off Italian coast: Cetraro case :...
, Fuscaldo
Fuscaldo
Fuscaldo is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.- External links : on http://www.telecosenza.it...
and Mongrassano
Mongrassano
Mongrassano is a town and comune of the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy, located 42 kilometers northwest of Cosenza.The town is part of the Comunità Montana Media Valle Crate.- History :...
. Guardia is an Occitan linguistic enclave.
History
The date when Guardia was founded is unknown. The name of the place changed several times in history. Guardia means watch-out or look-out and this name is probably related to a look-out tower built in the 11th c. These look-out towers were built to warn against Arab pirates, then called SaracenSaracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s, ravaging the coast. Guardia used to be called Guardia Fiscaldi after the local competent feudal vassals Fiscaldo/Fuscaldo originating from Fuscaldo
Fuscaldo
Fuscaldo is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.- External links : on http://www.telecosenza.it...
. After the settlement of Waldensian refugees of Occitan language the place name was Guardia dei Valdi. After their suppression the name was Guardia Lombarda and was changed to its present name in 1863.
During the 12th-13th centuries Waldensians arrived in Calabria fleeing from the inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in the areas of Bobbio Pellice
Bobbio Pellice
Bobbio Pellice is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km southwest of Turin, on the border with France and at the end of the Val Pellice...
and Torre Pellice
Torre Pellice
Torre Pellice is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km southwest of Turin. It is crossed by the Pellice river....
, in what is now 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...
. As of 1375 they also settled on the mountain 500 m above the sea which is now the upper town of Guardia. By 1315 Waldensians had settled already in Montalto Uffugo
Montalto Uffugo
Montalto Uffugo is a town and comune of the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-External links:* - Hosts images and extractions of vital records for the residents of Montalto Uffugo....
, later also in San Sosti dei Valdesi
San Sosti
San Sosti is a comune in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria.-Main sights:*Sanctuary of Madonna del Pettoruto, founded in 1274 by the monks of the Abbey of Acquaformosa. It was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1783...
, Vacarizzo
Vaccarizzo Albanese
Vaccarizzo Albanese is a village and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.The town is bordered by Acri, San Cosmo Albanese and San Giorgio Albanese.- Language :...
, Argentina und San Vincenzo
San Vincenzo La Costa
San Vincenzo La Costa is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.-Geography:San Vincenzo La Costa is made up of villages including San Vincenzo, Gesuiti, Giuranda, Greco, Pallazello. The town is bordered by Montalto Uffugo, Rende and San Fili....
. The local feudal vassals of the Spinelli
Spinelli
Spinelli is a surname, and may refer to:* Altiero Spinelli , Italian advocate for European federalism and founding father of the European Union* Ashley Spinelli, a character in the cartoon Recess....
family, being lords of Fuscaldo, granted them refuge. For a long period the Waldensians pretended living like Catholics, attended the Holy Mass, had their children baptised in the Catholic churches. However, privately they stuck to their belief, received travelling Waldensian preachers for few days in intervalls of about two years.
With the successes of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
many secret Waldensians came to the opinion not to hide their belief any longer. In 1532 they decided on their Synod in Chanforan (Piedmont) to confess their belief publicly. Thereupon Calabrese Waldensians sent Marco Uscegli as envoy to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
with the request to dispatch preachers. Thus the preacher Gian Luigi Pascale came to Calabria, who established Waldensians churches in Guardia Piemontese and San Sosti. The Waldensians in their traditional areas in Piedmont did the same. The locally competent Bishop 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...
there, Cardinal Michele Ghislieri
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
, then initiated a crusade against the Waldensians in 1560.
The Calabrese Roman Catholic Abbot Giovan Antonio Anania informed Ghislieri that the Waldensians in Calabria had meanwhile also adopted preachers of their own. So Ghislieri odered the abbot to eradicate the Waldensian heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
in coordination with his local archbishop of Cosenza
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano
The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano in Calabria has been a metropolitan see since 2001.It was combined with the diocese of Bisignano in 1979. The historical archdiocese of Cosenza, immediately subject to the Holy See, was elevated from a diocese in 1170.-External links:*...
, Taddeo Gaddi. First Anania tried to urge the Waldensians to convert by threats. However, they refused. Having a sense of foreboding many Waldensians from neighbouring places fled to Guardia which was fortified. Guardia's lord Salvatore Spinelli (about 1506–5 October 1565) tried to make the Waldensians relent and advised Pascale and Uscegli to flee, but in vain.
Spinelli, who feared to be blamed for favouring heretics, finally resorted to a trickery. In June 1561 he requested for him and 50 of his men entry to the town pretending they would come unarmed. Loyal to their lord the Guardioti let them in. In the night between 4 and 5 June Spinelli and his henchmen popped their hidden weapons and seized the town with violence. By doing so and at further pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s in the following two weeks Spinelli and his henchmen murdered about 2,000 Waldensians in Guardia Piemontese and other places.
This bloodshed is commemorated by the name of the main town gate, Porta del Sangue (blood gate), because it was said that the blood of the murdered flowed all the way down to it. Next to the town gate there is now the Centro di Cultura Giovan Luigi Pascale which shows an exhibition on the history of the Waldensians of Guardia.
The survivors of the massacre had to convert to Roman Catholicism. Marriages between spouses both of Waldensians descent were forbidden. Spioncini, spyholes to be opened from the outside, were to be built into the frontdoors in order to allow inquisitors to spy into the houses and check whether the compulsory converts really abstain from Waldensian traditions. Some spioncini can still be found in frontdoors. The Waldensian church was demolished. On its site, today's Piazza Chiesa Valdese, a piece of rock from Piedmont has been put in 1975, donated by Guardia's twin city Torre Pellice in memory of the descent of many Guardioti from the Piedmontese rocky Alps. The names of 118 known victims of the 1561 massacre are listed in a plaque at the rock.
In memory of the eradication of Waldensian heresy Salvatore Spinelli donated the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
church Chiesa del SS. Rosario
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
in Guardia. In April 1565 he was created Marchese of Fuscaldo in honour of his deed.