Guglionesi
Encyclopedia
Guglionesi is a town and comune
in Molise
, southern Italy
, about 50 kilometers from Campobasso
.
, an Italic people allied to the Samnites
.
Thanks to its strategic position along the Via Frentana-Traiana, Usconium became, towards the end of the Republican Era, a Municipium, and, according to historical documents, had nearly 25,000 inhabitants.
Between Monte Antico and Monte Capraro was a Pagus Collis Nisii or Collenisyus ("Hill of Bacchus
") where the escaped from Usconium were sheltered after its destruction by the Goths
.
In the 412 AD Colleniso became New Usconium and was encircled by protection walls in the period of Longobardo. After that, the most important fortification was raised in the 9th century, when Robert Guiscard
took hold of the city. In that period eighteen watchtowers and two castles were erected. The first castle was located along Via Capitano Verri, where its ruins can still be seen today. The second castle is in Castellara. After the destruction of the second castle, upon what was left of the castle foundations, the Convent of the Cappuccini was constructed.
In the 801 AD Colleniso was submitted to the Duke of Spoleto, and endured various incursions from part of Saracen
raiders. In the 1137 AD. it endured the pillage from Emperor Lothair II. In the 1315 King Robert of Anjou gave Collenisio to his brother Peter, Count
of Gravina, and at his death, his daughter Agnese inherited the city. In 1340 she founded the Certosa of Saint Giovanni Battista, also known as Porta del Paradiso (The Heaven’s door) and as the Hermitage of Saint John. In this time the city was repeatedly invaded; its name was also changed from Colleniso to Guillonisi.
In 1496, after the death of René of Anjou, his cousin Charles VIII of France
descended to Italy
with a large army and conquered Naples
. The French entered Guillonisi and plundered the entire village, demolished the two castles and the towers and killed most of the people. Another particularly invasion occurred in the 16th century by the Turks, who set afire, among the other things, the church of Saint Maria Maggiore, and consequently the relics of St. Adam housed in the church were destroyed and lost.
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 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...
, 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...
, about 50 kilometers from 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...
.
History
The historical origins of Guglionesi go back to the 4th century BC. In ancient times, it was known as Uscosium or Usconium and together with Pescara, Ortona, Lanciano, Vasto and Larino, it was one of the most important centers of the FrentaniFrentani
The Frentani were an ancient people of central Italy, occupying the tract on the east coast of the peninsula from the Apennines to the Adriatic, and from the frontiers of Apulia to those of the Marrucini. They were bounded on the west by the Samnites, with whom they were closely connected, and from...
, an Italic people allied to 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...
.
Thanks to its strategic position along the Via Frentana-Traiana, Usconium became, towards the end of the Republican Era, a Municipium, and, according to historical documents, had nearly 25,000 inhabitants.
Between Monte Antico and Monte Capraro was a Pagus Collis Nisii or Collenisyus ("Hill of Bacchus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
") where the escaped from Usconium were sheltered after its destruction by the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
.
In the 412 AD Colleniso became New Usconium and was encircled by protection walls in the period of Longobardo. After that, the most important fortification was raised in the 9th century, when Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
took hold of the city. In that period eighteen watchtowers and two castles were erected. The first castle was located along Via Capitano Verri, where its ruins can still be seen today. The second castle is in Castellara. After the destruction of the second castle, upon what was left of the castle foundations, the Convent of the Cappuccini was constructed.
In the 801 AD Colleniso was submitted to the Duke of Spoleto, and endured various incursions from part of Saracen
Saracen
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...
raiders. In the 1137 AD. it endured the pillage from Emperor Lothair II. In the 1315 King Robert of Anjou gave Collenisio to his brother Peter, Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
of Gravina, and at his death, his daughter Agnese inherited the city. In 1340 she founded the Certosa of Saint Giovanni Battista, also known as Porta del Paradiso (The Heaven’s door) and as the Hermitage of Saint John. In this time the city was repeatedly invaded; its name was also changed from Colleniso to Guillonisi.
In 1496, after the death of René of Anjou, his cousin Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
descended to 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...
with a large army and conquered Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The French entered Guillonisi and plundered the entire village, demolished the two castles and the towers and killed most of the people. Another particularly invasion occurred in the 16th century by the Turks, who set afire, among the other things, the church of Saint Maria Maggiore, and consequently the relics of St. Adam housed in the church were destroyed and lost.