Mondovì (; pms, Ël Mondvì , la, Mons Regalis) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (township) in

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, northern Italy, about from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several ''

rioni The Rioni ( ka, რიონი, ; , ) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea, entering it north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city ...

'' (ancient quarters): Piazza (the most ancient), Breo, Pian della Valle, Carassone, Altipiano, 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

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

reopened in 2006, links Breo with Piazza. It is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mondovì ( la, Dioecesis Montis Regalis in Pedemonte o Montis Vici) is a Catholic diocese in the Ecclesiastical Region of Piedmont in Italy. Its 192 parishes are divided between the Province of Savona in the (civil) ...

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

Vicoforte Vicoforte is a ''comune'' in the Province of Cuneo in Italy. It is located in Val Corsaglia at above sea level, east of Cuneo and from Mondovì. It is known mainly for the Santuario di Vicoforte, built between 1596 and 1733 to honour the Virgin ...

), 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 Piedmontese (; autonym: or , in it, piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, northwestern region of Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regard ...

, was formed. Their independence proved to be short-lived because the

bishop of Asti The Diocese of Asti ( la, Dioecesis Astensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Piedmont, northern Italy, centered in the city of Asti. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Turin since 1515.

and the

marquis of Ceva The Marquisate of Ceva was a small independent state in north-western Italy, situated at the foot of the Apennines, with its seat at Ceva, in what is now a part of Piedmont. Establishment The marquisate was created in 1125 at the death of Bonifa ...

stormed it in 1200 and destroyed it in 1231. The

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

resisted, however, and the following year it was able to sustain another attack from

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...

. In 1260 it was occupied by

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the Capetian House of Anjou, second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and County of Fo ...

(then

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the ...

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 Angevins, followed by the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

, the

Marquisate of Montferrat The March (also ''margraviate'' or ''marquisate'') of Montferrat was a frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The margraviate was raised to become the Duchy of Montferrat in 1574. O ...

, the Acaja and, from 1418, the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

. Mondovì continued to grow until the 16th century when it was the largest city in

. In 1537 it was occupied by France, under which it mostly remained until 1559. In 1560,

Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy Emmanuel Philibert ( it, Emanuele Filiberto; pms, Emanuel Filibert; 8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580), known as ( pms, Testa 'd fer, links=no; "Ironhead", because of his military career), was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580. He is remembered fo ...

restored it to Piedmont, which held it until the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, apart from the

Napoleonic period The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative ...

(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.

Music

It is home of the Academia Montis Regalis orchestra led by conductor Alessandro De Marchi.

Main sights

* Church of ''San Francesco Saverio'' (1664–1678), with works by

Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...

. * Cathedral of ''San Donato'', designed by

Francesco Gallo Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...

. * ''Santa Croce'' Chapel, with a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

fresco cycle. * Medieval walls and towers (12th century). * ''Piazza Maggiore'' (Main Square, 14th-16th century), in

style . * Church of ''Santa Chiara''. * Church of the ''Misericordia'' (1708–1717), designed by

. * 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 The Santuario di Vicoforte (also known as Santuario Regina Montis Regalis) 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 the ...

Gallery

File:Mondovi01.png, Mondovì File:Piazza04.png, Piazza Maggiore File:SSPietroPaolo.png, SS Pietro & Paolo File:Piazza01.png, Piazza Battisti File:SignageMondovi.png, Bilingual street signs File:Meridiana02.png, Via della Meridiana File:Meridiana01.png, Sundial detail File:Langa Monregalese.png, Langa Monregalese

People

Mondovì is the birthplace of *

Giovanni Battista Beccaria Giovanni Battista Beccaria (; 3 October 1716 – 27 May 1781), Italian physicist, was born at Mondovì, and entered the religious Order of the Pious Schools or Piarists, in 1732, where he studied, and afterward taught, grammar and rhetoric. At t ...

(1716–1781), physicist * Teresa De Giuli Borsi (1817–1877), opera singer * Francesco Canaveri (1753-1836), physician, anatomist, and professor *

Giovanni Giolitti Giovanni Giolitti (; 27 October 1842 – 17 July 1928) was an Italian statesman. He was the Prime Minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921. After Benito Mussolini, he is the second-longest serving Prime Minister in Italian history. A pr ...

(1842–1928), five-time

Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

Francis Vigo Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural ...

(1747–1836), fur trader, American Revolutionary War hero * Michele Baranowicz (b. 1989), volleyball player *

Giovanni Bertone Giovanni Bertone (1884 in Mondovì, Piedmont – 1972 may 10 in Turin) was an Italian automobile designer, known for establishing the Carrozzeria Bertone business. Life and career Bertone was the sixth of the seven sons from a farming famil ...

(1884–1972), automobile designer

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondovi 1198 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Italy Populated places established in the 12th century