Sovana
Sovana ( Svea ) is an Italian fraction of the municipality of Sorano in the Maremma region in the province of Grosseto in Tuscany and is a member of the association I borghi più belli d'Italia (The Most Beautiful Places in Italy).
geography
Sovana is located on a tuff hill at the confluence of the Calesine and Folonia rivers . The complex of the place consists of three streets running lengthways, called Obere Straße, Untere Straße and Mittelstraße. Sovana gained importance as early as the Etruscan period. Important sights from this period have been preserved to this day. In the 11th century the city experienced another period of prosperity, while in the following centuries a process of decay began. Nevertheless, Sovana still has its original, medieval town center today. In 1833 only 64 people lived in the city, today about 150 people live in Sovana. Due to the rediscovery of the cultural treasures of Sovana in recent years, the place has returned to life after centuries of oblivion. Nevertheless, Sovana is not a tourist metropolis.
history
Archaeological excavations have shown that settlements existed in the area of Sovana from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age . Around the year 1000 BC The first growing settlements developed. A larger settlement of this type also existed in Sovana, such as B. also in San Giovenale . With the beginning of the Iron Age , these settlements were abandoned. Towards the end of the Villanova period , the settlements were revived, at the same time the first Etruscan settlements appeared. During excavations, a prehistoric settlement was found below the plateau of the Cathedral of Sovana. It consisted of large, elliptically shaped dwellings.
Antiquity
The Etruscan Sveama was a center of medium importance. There were trade relations with Vulci and a cultural exchange with the area of Lake Bolsena . The Etruscan Sovana had its peak in the fourth and third centuries BC, but it was able to maintain its heyday even during the Romanization . The Etruscan culture in Sovana seems to have remained untouched by the Roman colonization; numerous Etruscan inscriptions from the colonization period show that the Etruscan language and culture continued to be practiced. Nevertheless, Sovana became a Municipium in Roman times .
Christianization
Sovana became a bishopric as early as the 4th century AD. As a result, it gained important importance during the Christianization process in southern Tuscany. In addition, the area became a preferred destination for hermits and hermits , who contributed significantly to the spread of Christianity. In Sovana itself there were hermitages on four rocks.
middle Ages
In 935 the Aldobrandeschi chose the city as the capital of their county, which stretched from Monte Amiata over the entire Maremma . The ruins of their castle, the Rocca Aldobrandesca at the entrance to Sovana , are still an expression of their claim to power . In the 11th century (around 1020) the canon Hildebrand von Sovana was born in Sovana, later Pope Gregory VII , who played a decisive role in the investiture dispute . From the 13th century, the county began to decline, marked by internal struggles. This process culminated in the Battle of Montaperti (1260) between the Ghibellines of Santa Fiora and the Guelphs of Sovana. From 1312 Sovana was subordinate to the Counts of Orsini , who continued to run the city down until it was conquered by the Republic of Siena in 1410. The impoverished population was significantly decimated by the process of decay. Wars, looting, and malaria epidemics eventually made Sovana a deserted and decaying place.
Modern times
During the Renaissance , the Medici tried to revive Sovana by settling immigrant Greeks. However, this attempt failed, as did a later attempt by the Grand Dukes of the Habsburg-Lothringers , because another malaria epidemic decimated the population. It was only the rediscovery of the numerous sights of Sovana in the present that tore the city from its oblivion.
Medieval sights
Rocca Aldobrandesca
.jpg)
The ruins of the Rocca Aldobrandesca are located directly at the entrance to the town center . The castle was built in the 11th century and expanded and restored several times between the 12th and 14th centuries. It has been left to decay since the 17th century. The castle was built on a rock surface that was hewn in the Etruscan period. The only medieval city gate, the Porta della Rocca, was supposed to be defended through the castle, thus protecting the town center. In addition, the castle was originally surrounded by a moat. In 1558, under Cosimo de 'Medici , another city gate (Porta da Passo) was opened on the south side of the city.
Piazza del Pretorio (District Court Square)
The complete medieval city model has been preserved around the square. The low two-story houses stand on foundations from the 12th to 15th centuries. The Piazza del Pretorio is the only square in town and is surrounded by the most important historical buildings in Sovana. The pavement made of bricks with a herringbone pattern is partly original and partly restored.
Palazzo Pretorio (District Court Palace)
On the right side of the Piazza del Pretorio is a building from the 12th century, the front of which is adorned with a series of large coats of arms. These coats of arms come from the Senese and Medici commissioners who administered the place from the 14th to the 16th centuries. A pillar is attached to the corner wall of the building, on which announcements were probably made in the past. This palazzo now houses an archaeological museum. Etruscan finds are exhibited there as well as earthenware from the Middle Ages.
Loggia del Capitano (Captain's Lodge)
The captain's box is built on the same pillars as the district court palace. On the outer wall is a Medici coat of arms, which Cosimo I had placed there at the end of the 16th century. The city's ruler resided in this building.
Palazzo dell'Archivo (Archives Palace)
Between the Via di Mezzo and the Via di Sotto in the middle of the Piazza del Pretorio stands the archive palace from the 13th century with a slender bell tower. The seat of the community and the archive were located here. Today the Palazzo dell'Archivo is no longer used for this purpose, as Sovana is now part of the Sorano municipality. An old clock with a complicated mechanism is attached to the facade.
- Frescoes in St. Maria, Sovana
Santa Maria Church
On the left side of the square is the 12th century church of Santa Maria. A rare pre-Romanesque ciborium from the 8th century, unique in all of Tuscany, rises above the main altar . It is made of white marble and consists of four columns with Corinthian style capitals that support an octagonal pyramid. The ciborium was probably built after renovation work in the cathedral of Sovana, where it was located until the 11th / 12th. Century located, brought to the church. Inside the church there are some more valuable frescoes . In addition, there are some Roman landmarks from the late Republican era with grave inscriptions in a corner of the church.
Palazzo Bourbon del Monte
Directly next to the church is the Palazzo of the Marquis Bourbon del Monte with a high open hall on the ground floor. The facade dates from the 17th century.
S. Mamiliano
In the Piazza del Pretorio there are also the ruined walls of the Church of S. Mamiliano. This is the oldest building in Sovana. Presumably the first Christian church of the early episcopal see stood here, which was built on the remains of a pagan temple. The church was dedicated to the patron saint of the place. The building was re-covered because excavations are being carried out under the floor (2007).
St. Benedict Monastery
The remains of the 12th century monastery can be seen near the Sovana car park. Some researchers assign the monastery to the Knights Templar . The presence of the Templars in Sovana is evidenced by an original document that mentions a local commandant. However, this fact has not yet been localized further.
The cathedral
The cathedral dedicated to St. Peter and Paul is located at the western end of Sovana. The cathedral is the most important monument of the Middle Ages in Sovana. It is a rare example of a cathedral in the Romanesque-Gothic style of great artistic value. The cathedral is adorned with decorative stone carvings. The interior is characterized by unique but harmonious architectural forms. The first construction phase probably started as early as the 9th century. The church already stood in the 11th century, as a papal bull of Nicholas II shows. The appearance of the cathedral was changed in the course of the 12th to 14th centuries. The portal on the long side of the church is made of marble and consists of a first, outer arch, in the upper half of which the soul of a person ascending to heaven is depicted. In the middle of the arch there are two stylized lion heads that are supposed to guard the cathedral and in the lower part there are various symbolic motifs. The interior of the cathedral is divided by a series of massive, cross-shaped, two-tone columns on which the cross vault of the central nave rests. Particularly interesting are the sculptures on the upper part of the capitals, which are attributed to the Lombard school of the 11th century. Biblical scenes are depicted there. In an urn on the altar are the bones of S. Mamiliano, the patron saint of Sovana. The Etruscan Acropolis was presumably located where the cathedral stands today.
Ancient landmarks
Tomba Ildebranda
The Tomba Ildebranda is the only surviving specimen of an Etruscan temple tomb. The grave complex was rediscovered in the 1920s. In honor of Ildebrando from Sovana it was named Tomba Ildebranda. The monument was carved out of a huge boulder that became a traditional Etruscan temple of the Hellenistic era (probably 3rd century BC). The facade of the temple consists of twelve columns that refer to the Etruscan Dodecapolis. The capitals are in the Sovana Museum. They show four male and female divine strands and large acanthus leaves. Overall, the entire temple surface was plastered and painted in lively colors. There are two entrances to the grave. The main entrance leads to a cruciform burial chamber that leads directly below the center of the temple above. Presumably it was created for a very high person from Sovana. The side dromos leads to a tomb, which probably dates from the 4th century BC. The ceiling of the tomb represents the ceiling of an Etruscan house. In addition to the Tomba Ildebranda, another rock plateau was discovered some time ago, on which two high aedicules stand next to stairs , one of which reproduces the simplified form of a temple facade. However, these discoveries are still being explored.
Hand of Orlando
On the road from Sovana to Sorano, at the junction for Pitigliano, there is a large boulder that looks like a hand. According to legend, the hand was magically formed during the siege of Sovana by Charlemagne , while the knight Orlando (the mad Roland) clasped the boulder with his hand. However, the boulder is probably much older. It is possible that hemp ropes were strengthened here by pulling them through the finger opening or that the hand was used as an observation post. One final explanation is the possibility that the hand goes back to the megalithic era. At that time it was common to set up large stones that had a magical sacred function.
Cavone
This is a ravine carved into the rock with various Etruscan traces. Directly behind the entrance are Etruscan grottoes in the upper left of the wall, which were used by hermits in the early Middle Ages. Below this is a niche with the remains of a fresco of the Madonna and Child. Further inside the ravine you can find some graves in the rock face as well as various signs from various epochs. Among other things, Christian crosses can be found here, with the help of which one wanted to drive out the pagan gods. In the Middle Ages this path was called "Devil's Road" and it was believed that it was dangerous to walk the path at night. Halfway there is an Etruscan epigraph "Vertne", which presumably refers to the highest Etruscan god (Vertumno or Veltha).
Other Etruscan sights: Necropolis on the Folonia, Tomb of Silenus, Necropolis of Sopraripa, Tomba Pisa, Tomba del Tifone, Tomba Pola, Necropolis of Pian Casale etc.
Personalities
Hildebrand von Soana , who later became Pope Gregory VII, was born in the village of Sovana around 1020 . He played an important role in the investiture controversy ( walk to Canossa ).
literature
- Baedeker Allianz travel guide, Tuscany, 11th edition, Ostfildern 2003.
- Feo, Giovanni de, The tuff cities in the Fiora Valley, Pitigliano 1996.
Individual evidence
- ^ I borghi più belli d'Italia. Borghipiubelliditalia.it, accessed August 6, 2017 (Italian).
Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 39 ' N , 11 ° 39' E