Matigge
Encyclopedia
Matigge is a village of 1095 inhabitants in the Italian
province of Perugia
in east central Umbria
, located at 294 m (965 ft) above sea-level on the lower flank of Mt. Puranno, 42°54N 12°44E. It is a frazione
of Trevi
, which lies 3 km (2 mi) to the south.
. Matidia Minor was a noble Roman woman, a distant cousin and sister-in-law of Emperor Hadrian
. This town is also named after Matidia's mother Salonina Matidia
and her late maternal grandfather Praetor
Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus
. Matidia was known to have had a villa
in Umbria and Matidia was a wealthy and socially-conscious woman, responsible for one of the grander building schemes in Ostia. Hadrian restored a large chunk of the Umbrian Via Flaminia
in AD 123
‑124
; it is thus an appealing, if unproven, theory, that Hadrian would have had the need for restoring the road personally brought home to him as he travelled it back and forth to his daughter's hypothetical villa.
Matigge does in fact boast of Roman remains: traces of small Roman roads, and significant Roman spolia
used in the construction of the attractive Romanesque
church of S. Donato. A second small Romanesque church in town is S. Niccolò.
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...
province of Perugia
Province of Perugia
The Province of Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia...
in east central Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, located at 294 m (965 ft) above sea-level on the lower flank of Mt. Puranno, 42°54N 12°44E. It is a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Trevi
Trevi
Trevi is an ancient town and comune in Umbria, Italy, on the lower flank of Monte Serano overlooking the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is 10 km SSE of Foligno and 20 km north of Spoleto....
, which lies 3 km (2 mi) to the south.
History and main sights
The origin of the town's name is unknown, but may derive from Latin (villa) Matidiae: Matidia MinorMatidia Minor
Mindia Matidia or Matidia Minor was related to several important ancient Roman Emperors. The modern village of Matigge Italy, is named after her....
. Matidia Minor was a noble Roman woman, a distant cousin and sister-in-law of Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
. This town is also named after Matidia's mother Salonina Matidia
Salonina Matidia
Salonina Matidia was the daughter and only child of Ulpia Marciana and wealthy praetor Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus. Her maternal uncle was the Roman emperor Trajan. Trajan had no children and treated her like his daughter...
and her late maternal grandfather Praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus
Gaius Salonius Matidius Patruinus
Gaius Saloninus Matidius Patruinus was a Roman Senator that lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century and was a contemporary to the reign of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, 69-79....
. Matidia was known to have had a villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
in Umbria and Matidia was a wealthy and socially-conscious woman, responsible for one of the grander building schemes in Ostia. Hadrian restored a large chunk of the Umbrian Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
in AD 123
123
Year 123 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paetinus and Apronianus...
‑124
124
Year 124 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Glabrio and Flaccus...
; it is thus an appealing, if unproven, theory, that Hadrian would have had the need for restoring the road personally brought home to him as he travelled it back and forth to his daughter's hypothetical villa.
Matigge does in fact boast of Roman remains: traces of small Roman roads, and significant Roman spolia
Spolia
Spolia is a modern art-historical term used to describe the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments...
used in the construction of the attractive Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church of S. Donato. A second small Romanesque church in town is S. Niccolò.
External links
- Matigge (Bill Thayer's site)