Sant'Andrea di Suasa is a hamlet of the municipality of

Mondavio Mondavio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about south of Pesaro. Main sights * Rocca di Mondavio, a Renaissance castle designed by Francesco di Gior ...

in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, Italy. The castle-village sits 265 metres above sea level, 23 km from the

Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

and develops along the crest of a large hill to the left of the

Cesano river The Cesano is a river in the Marche region of Italy. Its source is near Monte Catria on the border between the province of Perugia and the province of Pesaro e Urbino. The river flows northeast through Pesaro e Urbino before forming the border bet ...

. It is characterized by the mighty wall circuit still intact with a single arch entrance.

Geography

The village is located in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

countryside close to the coast, and more precisely in the Cesano valley which is divided between the provinces of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

and

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the March ...

and

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of ...

, placed in a hilly landscape with many international tourist destinations. A few kilometers all around there are historical and architectural centers of interest due to the presence of villages, abbeys and castles, including

Corinaldo Corinaldo is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Ancona, within the Marche region of central Italy. It is about north of Assisi. It is home to well-preserved 14th-century walls, and was the birthplace of Saint Maria Goretti; it is also the s ...

Pergola A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. ...

and

Mondolfo Mondolfo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southeast of Pesaro, on the Adriatic Sea. Mondolfo borders the following municipalities: C ...

, elected among the "Borghi più belli d'Italia" (most beautiful villages of Italy) and many others. The town is about 50 km away from

Jesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriati ...

, the caves of Frasassi,

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian, Romagnol: ''S’nigaja'') is a ''comune'' and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona in the Marche region and lies approximately 30 kilometers north-west of the pro ...

and the Conero coast. Typical products of the Cesano valley are the "Frattula" salami, the "Suasa" onion and many DOC wines as:

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Verdicchio (, also , ) is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Marche region of central Italy.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 195 Oxford University Press 1996 The name ''Verdicchio'' derives from ...

, Rosso Conero DOC, Bianchello del Metauro DOC, Colli Pesaresi DOC, Pergola DOC. The municipal area (Mondavio) is awarded the orange flag for tourism-environmental quality by the Italian Touring Club.

History

The origins of the castle of Sant'Andrea di Suasa are linked to

Suasa Suasa was an ancient Roman town in what is now the ''comune'' of Castelleone di Suasa, Marche, Italy. It is located in the Pian Volpello locality, in the valley of the Cesano River. History Suasa was founded by the Romans in the early 3rd ce ...

, a settlement of possible

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

or Etruscan foundation, then certainly occupied by the " Senones" Gauls and finally became a Roman municipium. Following the destruction of Suasa by Alaric, king of the Visigoths in 409 AD, its population moved to the surrounding hills, founding several fortified towns, which later became villages or municipalities. Even today Sant'Andrea and Castellone retain the toponym "di Suasa" in honor of the city that generated them. The urban development of Sant'Andrea di Suasa is due to the advent of Christianity and in particular with the arrival of the

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

, who first founded the nearby monastery of

San Lorenzo in Campo San Lorenzo in Campo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about south of Pesaro. The main attraction is the Gothic church of San Lorenzo, once part of a ...

and cleared and cultivated the entire Cesano valley, restoring order and prosperity to the territory worn out by the continuous wars between germanic people and the Byzanthine empire. The monastery of S. Andrea is mentioned, together with that of S. Lorenzo, for the first time in the ''Breviarium Ecclesiae Ravennatis'' of the ninth century, while the birth of "Castrum Sancti Andreae" is attributed to the second half of the tenth century. In fact, the construction of the walls is attributable to around the year 1100, erected by the monks to face the new wars that followed the death of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

between the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

and the

papal states The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of ...

. The first church was built by the Benedictine monks and, although dedicated to S. Maria della Neve, it was called "Chiesa della Penna" because it was built on the highest part of the castle. This church, which also housed a crypt, was finally demolished in 1920. In 1150 Sant'Andrea was autonomous enough to have a Prior and a Notary, but in a document that until 1645 was in the archive of the Monastery of San Lorenzo, mentioned by Annibaldi degli Abbati Olivieri, in his unpublished "Spogli d'Archivio" preserved in the State Archives of Florence, there is a parchment donation instrument drawn up on May 8 1193 by the hand of a certain Orazio "Notaro di S. Andrea" in the County of

Fano Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by popul ...

. It can therefore be deduced that in that period Sant'Andrea fell under the jurisdiction of the Fano county. In 1303 the city of Fano and the nearby Vicariate of Mondavio were occupied by Pandolfo Malatesta and Ferrantino Malatesta. In 1316 Sant'Andrea was occupied by the troops of

Fabriano Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley upstream and southwest of Jesi; and east-northeast of Fossato di Vico and east of Gubbio (both in Umbria) ...

marching against

, while in 1322 the territory entered the sphere of

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected b ...

for then to return in 1343 again in the Malatesta domination with Galeotto Malatesta. In 1463 the castle was in danger of being destroyed when it became part of the domain of Duke

Giovanni Della Rovere Giovanni della Rovere (1457 – November 1501) was an Italian condottiero. He was a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, and the brother of Giuliano della Rovere (1443–1513), Pope Julius II from 1503. Biography Giovanni della Rovere was born at Savona. ...

. After an occupation by

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

in 1498, it returned to the Della Rovere family in 1508 through the legacy of

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Guidobaldo (Guido Ubaldo) da Montefeltro (25 January 1472 – 10 April 1508), also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508. Biography Born in Gubbio, he succeeded his father Federico da Montefel ...

. The municipality of Sant'Andrea di Suasa swore allegiance to him on November 8 1520. In 1631 the duchy of Urbino was devolved to the Holy See and Sant'Andrea di Suasa became part of the Legation of Urbino and Pesaro. Around 1500 a hospital was created in the municipality and construction of the new "Parish Church of Sant'Andrea" begin, inaugurated only in 1612. Starting from 1597 we have track of all the military commanders who were entrusted with the defense of the castle. With the unification of Italy the town officially became part of the province of Pesaro-Urbino. In 1869 the municipality of Sant'Andrea di Suasa was suppressed and constituted part of the municipality of

Landmarks

*Castle of Sant'Andrea *Chiesa Parrocchiale di Sant'Andrea

References

{{reflist Frazioni of the Province of Pesaro and Urbino Mondavio