Badia di Sant'Arcangelo
The Badia di Sant'Arcangelo ("Abbey of the Holy Archangel") is a former Benedictine abbey , built around the year 1000. It is located above the village of Sant'Arcangelo in the municipality of Magione on the southeastern shore of Lake Trasimeno in the Italian region of Umbria .
construction
The facility with a wide panoramic view of the lake is located on a hill on the slope of a wooded mountain slope. The massive architecture shows traces of numerous changes and alterations made by the respective owners. Its purpose as a religious building, combined with a pronounced fortress character, is still striking. The front of the Romanesque church, which belonged to the abbey, and the massive foundations with the narrow openings typical of fortresses are visible . Over time, the character of the fortress was emphasized by the addition of towers, battlements and loopholes, which can still be seen on the tower today. The building was enlarged in several phases. This can be seen from the former outer walls, which are now enclosed, as well as openings that now point inwards.
The whole complex forms an irregular rectangle, in the center of which there is an inner courtyard with a deep draw well. On its northern side is the church with a campanile , consecrated to Saint Michael , and in the south-east there is a donjon-like, crenellated tower.
history
The fortified monastery was built around the year 1000 as part of a defensive wall on the east bank of Lake Trasimeno. This consisted of the fortified settlements of San Feliciano , Monte del Lago , Zocco and San Savino . At that time the village was called Sant'Arcangelo Aiola , the mountain Marzolanus .
1014 is one of the monastery to the numerous possessions, the Emperor Henry II. The Abbey Farneta in the Diocese of Arezzo awarded. The crypt also dates back to the 11th century . In 1206 Pope Innocent III counts . also Sant'Arcangelo "with all his possessions" to the churches dependent on the Bishop of Perugia . 1238 confirmed Pope Gregory IX. the affiliation of the monastery to Santa Maria di Farneta. It had to pay an annual fee of 2 measures of oil, 10 measures of wheat and 20 measures of wine on the ascension day. The dependence on Farneta was interrupted around 1420, because around 1332 an abbot ruled autonomously over Sant'Arcangelo. The relationship with Farneta and San Pietro remained quite close, which can be seen from the frequent commissions from the abbots of these monasteries to the abbot of Sant'Arcangelo.
In 1361 the church of Sant'Arcangelo was registered in the land register of the municipality of Perugia, at a modest value of 2 "heavy lire" and 10 "groschen". This value increased, however, mainly thanks to the increase in the goods of Santa Maria di Ancaelle, which Sant'Arcangelo in 1409 fell in total. The highest value was 1712 "heavy lire".
In 1376, Perugia expanded its line of fortifications, especially at the traditional neuralgic points on the Trasimeno and the Lake of Chiusi ; The Abbey of Sant'Arcangelo received weapons and ammunition and was fortified like a castle.
Towards the end of the 14th century the monastery was hardly inhabited, at the beginning of the 15th century there were no monks living there. It is unclear whether this is due to other reasons besides the unfavorable climate and malaria . The unfavorable climate resulted from the large swamps on the lake shore, which mosquitoes served as breeding grounds.
Around 1420, Monsignor Benedetto Guidalotti († August 18, 1429 in Perugia), later Bishop of Recanati and founder of the College of New Sciences in Perugia, was interested in the now vacant building. He received from Pope Martin V on December 19, 1425 the eternal rule over the monastery and the surrounding lands. A second bull dated April 20, 1426 specifies that the goods mentioned are to be added to the new college for ever. This is confirmed in 1429 and 1430. In 1488 the papal provisions were confirmed in the land register of Perugia, which lists the monastery building in the register of the College of New Sciences. The land registry entries from 1605 and 1786 also confirm the unchanged affiliation of the property, which was subject to the college until the beginning of the 19th century.
The land around Sant'Arcangelo was offered for "eternal settlement" because nobody wanted to build it. Eventually they were reclaimed by a community of travelers and the swamps at the foot of the hill drained. In 1763, when visiting the church, Bishop Amadei remarked: "It stands above a slope with an unhealthy climate". Over time, the "perpetual settlement" system led to quarrels and burdens the college's finances so severely that it decided to lease the entire property first for three, then six and finally nine years.
In the lease of 1779 “cellars, oil mills , wheat and oil stores, household appliances for wine and oil in the manor houses” are listed. In the middle of the 18th century, mulberry trees were grown , which made a considerable profit. Throughout the 19th century, the College's ledgers recorded restoration and compensation expenses for the buildings of Sant'Arcangelo, and in 1858 the need to “build a furnace to make the bricks needed for restoration” was recognized. At that time the building was used for different purposes and structurally adapted. The interior of the monastery, probably once surrounded by arbors, was converted into a courtyard with a draw well, which, especially inside, has remained almost unchanged over the centuries.
Lately
After 1901 the College of Science gave up its educational and teaching activities after years of difficulties. Its property was administered by an administrative council for a few more years until a royal commissioner was appointed in 1913. Shortly before, it was decided to sell the Sant'Arcangelo estate. On March 31, 1913, notarized by the notary Gianbattista Brizi, the Holy College sold the entire farm and the abbey building to Count Massimiliano Goutry, with the exception of the church, the rectory and a small garden. Receipts indicate that the quorum continued to take care of these leftovers. On April 16, 1921 - notarized on May 6 - the property went to the Roman couple Gastone Cerulli Irelli and Elena Vitali, who kept it until 1935.
On January 9, 1935, notary Filippo Biarati sold it to Carlo Bona and Valeria Delleani from Turin , they were the last private owners of the building, which last belonged to Lorenzo Bona as the real estate company "Sant'Arcangelo". He sold it on to the companies “La Badia” and “Targa Verde”. In 1986/87 the entire complex was bought by an architect, completely renovated and converted into apartments under strict monument preservation requirements. The complex now includes a swimming pool, a tennis court and an olive grove with trees that are several hundred years old.
San Michele church
The first church was built in the 11th century. In 1565 it is recorded that the church had a baptismal font and a bell tower. In 1788 it was decided to rebuild the old bell tower from the 16th century. The frescoes of the church are said to date from the same period , of which a crucifixion with angels and seraphines can still be seen today. In the past, a saint Girolamo and an archangel Michael were depicted on the side of the high altar. Remains of older frescoes can be seen on another side of the church. One of the two side altars, initially covered by canopies, was damaged by lightning and rebuilt from scratch in 1817. The apse was walled up unknown time ago; its shape can still be seen on the outer wall and the apartment above.
Today there is a life-size wooden statue of Saint Anthony the Great on the left, and a statue of Saint Rita of Cascia on the right . The church is still consecrated today and is sometimes used for weddings. Once a year there is a service with the village population and the pastor of the village of Sant'Arcangelo.
- Interior of the Church of San Michele
Santa Rita
church
Sant'Antonio Abate
altar
literature
- Touring Club Italiano : Umbria. Milan 1999, ISBN 88-365-2542-3 , p. 198.
Web links
- Magione Cultura: Badia di Sant'Arcangelo , accessed October 7, 2018 (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Touring Club Italiano: Umbria.
- ^ A b Magione Cultura: Badia di Sant'Arcangelo
- ↑ François Charles Uginet: Guidalotti, Benedetto. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 61: Guglielmo Gonzaga-Jacobini. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2003.
Coordinates: 43 ° 4 ′ 46.6 " N , 12 ° 9 ′ 54.3" E