Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi 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 Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea ...

in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

region of southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It has been a historical site of significance in the history of

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

Geography

Just on a hilltop near the Fredano River, the town is home to a cathedral and a Lombard castle. The town is bordered by

Guardia Lombardi Guardia Lombardi (), known as ''La Uàrdia'' () in the Irpinian dialect, is a small town and ''comune'' in the Province of Avellino in Campania, Italy. At an elevation of , it is located in Irpinia in the Apennine Mountains of Southern Italy. It h ...

Lioni Lioni is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Located in western Irpinia, in the Monti Picentini natural park, the municipality borders with Bagnoli Irpino, Calabritto, Caposele, Morra De Sanctis, Nu ...

, Morra De Sanctis,

Nusco Nusco (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino (Campania region) in the south of Italy, east of Naples, with a population of around 4,100. It is situated in the mountains between the valleys of the Calore Irpino and Ofant ...

, Rocca San Felice, Torella dei Lombardi and

Villamaina Villamaina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsul ...

. Nearby is the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto.

Notable people

Charles A. Gargano, Italian-American businessman and former U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago

William of Montevergine William of Montevergine, or William of Vercelli, () () (1085 – 25 June 1142), also known as William the Abbot, was a Catholic hermit and the founder of the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or " Williamites". He is venerated as a saint by the R ...

, Piedmontese priest and saint who founded the Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto in Sant’Angelo.

Earthquake and reconstruction

The town was virtually destroyed by the magnitude 6.9 Irpina earthquake of 23 November 1980, which killed 300 people, including 27 children in an orphanage, and 80% of the town was destroyed in the earthquake. A scandal emerged when corruption became rampant and government neglect town the comune after the earthquake was investigated by the government.

History

The name "Sant'Angelo" comes from the town's patron Saint

Michael the Archangel Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

, and "Lombardi" comes from migrant workers 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 ...

settling there around 1000 AD. Most modern "Santangiolesi" have features and

genes In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

similar to the Lombards, as most of the town has been to this day inhabited with the descendants of those

migrant workers A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have an intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers ...

.''Ricerche di storia dell'arte'', issues 34–36, 1988, p. 39 The cathedral, originally built in the 11th century, was rebuilt in the 16th century. Also near Piazza d'Andrea is the castle of the Lombards, built around the first half of the 10th century. Initially, it was a jail/prison/fort and was later modified to serve as a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. There is a small pathway that was constructed under the castle and from there it leads to the main town square where there was an underground prison. In the late 1800s, many people from the town immigrated to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The area is known to have been inhabited by the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...

and then for a long time by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, who had settled in nearby

Aeclanum Aeclanum (also spelled Aeculanum, , ) was an ancient town of Samnium, Southern Italy, about 25 km east-southeast of Benevento, Beneventum, on the Via Appia. It lies in Passo di Mirabella, near the modern Mirabella Eclano. It is now an archa ...

along the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, recor ...

, which connected

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with the port of

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

. With the fall of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

Central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...

was conquered by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

and the Fredane River was the border between the

Duchy of Benevento A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

and the Lombards of

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

who began the construction of the

of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi at the highest point guarding the border. In the early 10th century, Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi was besieged by the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

and then conquered by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

who fortified the castle in 1076. The

had come from

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

after the Church called them since it wanted wanted to impose the

Latin rite Latin Rite may refer to: *The Latin Church, a ''sui iuris'' church of the Catholic Church *The Latin liturgical rites, a family of Christian rites and uses which includes the Roman Rite *The Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritua ...

to replace the Orthodox rites. The Norrmans favoured the construction of churches, such as the cathedral of Sant'Antonino Martyr, and of

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

. In 1133, thanks to the Abbot San Guglielmo da Vercelli, the construction of the great Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto began, which included a section for men and one for women. It is said that the

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

had lived for years in a tree trunk and decided to start the convent of a female cloister. Then, he realized he had to provide for the nuns' sustenance with a male monastery. True

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

began with the Normans, and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi was given as a fief to the Balvano, who descended from the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

, and the church organized its own administrative structure by creating a bishop's seat. During the Swabian and Angevin Periods, other families alternated with the fief of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi such as the Ianvilla, also of French origin, and the Di Sangro. The

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

brought misery, and the decline of the monastery was such that

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

in 1506 suppressed the female section and allowed the male section to continue. Joan II, Queen of Naples, assigned the fief to the Caracciolos and a period of splendour arrived with th family around the 1500s. In 1664, a disastrous earthquake razed the village and the cathedral to the ground, and in the reconstruction, the castle was transformed into a residence by the Caracciolo family. The monastery was then completely renovated with the construction of a new church designed by the great Neapolitan

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

artist and architect

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro Domenico Antonio Vaccaro (June 3, 1678 – June 13, 1745) was an Italian painter, sculptor and architect. He created many important sculptural and architectural projects in Naples. His later works are executed in an individualistic Rococo s ...

. The cathedral was also rebuilt in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

. In 1768, the imperial family arrived and then the Carafa family. During the

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

, Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi became an important administrative centre with the creation of a court and prisons in the castle. Feudalism was abolished, the monastery was closed and fell into ruin and many of its assets were plundered. Fortunately, the remains of the founder, William of Montevergine, were moved to

Montevergine 250px, The Sanctuary of Montevergine. The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a limestone massif in Campania, central Italy, part of the Apennine chain. It is located near Avellino, in the ''comune'' of Mercogliano. It ...

. The village actively participated in the

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...

uprisings, but the dreams of its citizens were shattered. In fact, after the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

, disappointment and misery led to a strong wave of migration to the United States of people who went in search of fortune. Emigration continued after the world wars. Fate was not merciful, and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi was one of the centres most affected by the disastrous earthquake of November 23, 1980, which practically razed it to the ground. After its reconstruction, the castle has once again taken on its mediaeval form and is now home to the archive and museum.

References

External links