Sezzadio is a ''

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 ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

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

, located about southeast of

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 ...

and about south of

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

. Sezzadio borders the following municipalities:

Carpeneto Carpeneto is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, I ...

, Cassine,

Castelnuovo Bormida Castelnuovo Bormida is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria. Castelnuovo Bormida borders the following municipalities: Cassi ...

, Castelspina,

Gamalero Gamalero (Gamaleri in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southwest of Alessandria. Gamalero borders the following municipalities: ...

Montaldo Bormida Montaldo Bormida is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria. As part of the Marquisate of Montferrat, Montaldo Bormida had a suc ...

Predosa Predosa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria. Predosa borders the following municipalities: Basaluzzo, Bosco Marengo, Ca ...

, and

Rivalta Bormida Rivalta Bormida is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Alessandria. Rivalta Bormida borders the following municipalities: Cassine, Caste ...

. It is the location of the

Abbey of Santa Giustina The Abbey of Santa Giustina is a 10th-century Benedictine abbey complex located in front of the Prato della Valle in central Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. Adjacent to the former monastery is the basilica church of Santa Giustina, initially built ...

, founded in 722 by the Lombard king Liutprand. In 1033 the abbey was enlarged by the marquis of Sezzadio, Oberto, remaining under the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

s until 1474. The church has a large

cotto Cotto may refer to: * Cotto (name), a surname common amongst those of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French or Sephardic Jewish ancestry * Cotto (material), a type of Italian brick tile * Cotto salami, a cooked variety of salami * Cotto Laurel, ...

façade divided by pilasters and crowned by

Lombard band A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually located on the exterior of building. It was frequently used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of Western architecture. It resembles a frieze of arches. Lombard bands are believed to h ...

s. The interior has a nave and two aisles ending with apses. In the apses are frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries, while the crypt has an 11th-century mosaic pavement.

Antonio Barbavara Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

was briefly the Abbot in 1428. Mark Knowles argues that Antonio was the author of the Voynich cipher manuscript. The large parish church was built from 1900 in neo-Gothic style.

References

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