Villar San Costanzo 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 Cuneo
Cuneo (Italian), or Coni (Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Haut ...
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 =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
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, located about southwest of
Turin
Turin ( , 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 from 1861 to 1865. The ...
and about northwest of
Cuneo
Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area.
It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...
. As of 31 August 2007, it had a population of 1,474 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute ]Istat
The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
.
Sights to see in Villar San Costanzo include the natural reserve known as ''Ciciu del Villar''; the Abbey built in early 700 AD; and the very ancient church of San Costanzo al Monte, a stunning example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture dating back to the 12th century. The town takes its name from
Saint Constantius
Constantius of Perugia (also known as Costantius, Constance or Costanzo) (died c. 170 AD) is one of the patron saints of Perugia, Italy.
Legend
According to his legend, of which four versions exist, he was arrested during the persecutions of Ant ...
, a soldier of the
Theban Legion
The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, a ...
, who is said to have been beheaded at the spot now occupied by the sanctuary of San Costanzo al Monte.
The local geologic formation known as ''Ciciu del Villar'', which are columns formed by natural erosion, was connected with Constantius' legend: the stones are said to be the Roman soldiers sent to kill him, who were miraculously petrified before they could harm the saint.
Villar San Costanzo borders the following municipalities:
Busca,
Dronero and
Roccabruna.
File:Villar san costanzo 2.JPG, Santuario di San Costanzo al Monte
File:Villar san costanzo 1.JPG, Santuario di San Costanzo al Monte
File:Ciciu del Villar 2.JPG, Ciciu del Villar
Demographic evolution
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Twin towns — sister cities
Villar San Costanzo is
twinned with:
*
Rosières, Haute-Loire, France
References
External links
www.comune.villarsancostanzo.cn.it/
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Piedmont