Meda is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

province of Monza and Brianza The province of Monza and Brianza (; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Description It was officially created by splitting the north-eastern part from the province of Milan on 12 May 2004, and became executive ...

, located in the northern Italian region of

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, close to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

. It is known as a center of furniture production. Meda is served by Meda railway station.

History

Meda's history is linked to the history of its convent and of its foundation. From the latter's location on a mound () stems the town's name. According to legend, the Saints Aimo and Vermund, counts of Turbigo, were attacked by two wild boars while hunting. To save their lives, they swore to God that, if saved, they would build a convent right there. The convent was built around 780 near an old little church dedicated to St. Vittore. In order to be free from the control of the new priorate, the people of Meda built another church dedicated to

St. Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and St. Sebastian. The quarrels between the inhabitants and the convent ended on 10 December 1252, when the Prioress Maria da Besozzo gave up all her political, administrative and economic power on the village. Later the municipal territory was held by the Visconti and

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

families until, in the 16th century, it fell under the control of Spain and then of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Meda later came under the power of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

and then, after the Second War of Italian Independence, became part of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. The Meda territory, on the border with the town of

Seveso Seveso (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Monza and Brianza, in the Region of Lombardy. The economy of the town has traditionally been based on the furniture industry. Its name comes from the river of the same name which crosse ...

, was the location of the ICMESA factory, which became known in 1976 for the catastrophical release of a dioxin cloud, which affected many towns of the Brianza. This event is known as the “ Seveso disaster” (''Disastro di Seveso''). Meda received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on 4 September 1998.

Main sights

*Church of San Vittore (1520), housing a series of frescoes by

Bernardino Luini Bernardino Luini (/82 – June 1532) was a north Italian painter from Leonardo's circle during the High Renaissance. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described as having taken ...

and his school. * Villa Antona Traversi, a transformation of a medieval convent of Santa Vittoria by the Neoclassical architect Leopoldo Pollack. The monastery had been suppressed in 1798 by the Napoleonic government. The church is frescoed by followers of Bernardo Luini.

Notable people

* Giuseppe Terragni – architect * Igor Cassina – gymnast – Gold medal at Athens 2004 *

Johnny Dorelli Giorgio Guidi (born 20 February 1937), known professionally as Johnny Dorelli, is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Giorgio Guidi was born in Meda, Lombardy, Italy. In 1946, he moved with his family to New York City, ...

– Actor * St. Giovanni Oldrati ''from Meda''

References

External links

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