Bevagna
Encyclopedia
Bevagna is a town and comune
in the central part of the Italian
province of Perugia
, (Umbria
), in the flood plain of the Topino
river.
Bevagna is 25 km (15 mi) SE of Perugia
, 8 km west of Foligno
, 7 km north-north-west of Montefalco
, 16 km south of Assisi
and 15 km (9 mi) north-west of Trevi
.
It has a population of c. 5,000, with the town of Bevagna proper accounting for about half of that.
-Oscan settlement. Around 80-90 BC it became a Roman
municipium
, called Mevania
. In the 3rd-4th centuries AD it was probably an episcopal see and, after the Lombard
conquest, the seat of a gastald
in the Duchy of Spoleto
.
After the year 1000 it was a free commune. In 1152 Frederick Barbarossa set it on fire. In 1249 it was again destroyed by the Count of Aquino
. In 1371-1439 it was ruled by the Trinci
family. Later it was part of the Papal States
until the unification of Italy.
The painter Andrea Camassei
(1602–1649) was born in Bevagna.
The four Gaite of Bevagna are San Giorgio, San Giovanni, San Pietro and Santa Maria.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the central part of the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
province of Perugia
Province of Perugia
The Province of Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia...
, (Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
), in the flood plain of the Topino
Topino
The Topino is a river in Umbria, central Italy. It was known in ancient times as Timia and is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the Canto XI of the Paradise....
river.
Bevagna is 25 km (15 mi) SE of Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
, 8 km west of Foligno
Foligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
, 7 km north-north-west of Montefalco
Montefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
, 16 km south of Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
and 15 km (9 mi) north-west of Trevi
Trevi
Trevi is an ancient town and comune in Umbria, Italy, on the lower flank of Monte Serano overlooking the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is 10 km SSE of Foligno and 20 km north of Spoleto....
.
It has a population of c. 5,000, with the town of Bevagna proper accounting for about half of that.
History
The city was originally an EtruscanEtruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
-Oscan settlement. Around 80-90 BC it became a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
municipium
Municipium
Municipium , the prototype of English municipality, was the Latin term for a town or city. Etymologically the municipium was a social contract between municipes, the "duty holders," or citizens of the town. The duties, or munera, were a communal obligation assumed by the municipes in exchange for...
, called Mevania
Mevania
Mevania , an ancient Roman town and municipium of , in the Augustan Regio VI. It lay on the western branch of the Via Flaminia, 13 km WSW of Forum Flaminii where the branches rejoin....
. In the 3rd-4th centuries AD it was probably an episcopal see and, after the Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
conquest, the seat of a gastald
Gastald
A gastald was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne with civil, martial, and judicial powers. By the Edictum Rothari of 643, the gastalds were given the civil authority in the cities and the reeves the like authority in the countryside...
in the Duchy of Spoleto
Duchy of Spoleto
The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard dux Faroald.- Lombards :The Lombards, a Germanic people, had invaded Italy in 568 and conquered much of it, establishing a Kingdom divided between several dukes dependent on the King, who had...
.
After the year 1000 it was a free commune. In 1152 Frederick Barbarossa set it on fire. In 1249 it was again destroyed by the Count of Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
. In 1371-1439 it was ruled by the Trinci
Trinci
The Trinci were a noble family from central Italy, who were lords of Foligno, in Umbria, from 1305 to 1439.-History:During the War of the Guelphs and Ghibellines which tore apart Italy from the 12th to the 14th century, the Trinci were initially Guelphs, but switched to the other party from 1240...
family. Later it was part of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
until the unification of Italy.
Andrea Camassei
Andrea Camassei was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver, who was mainly active in Rome under the patronage of the Barberini.He was born in Bevagna. He was active in painting in the Palazzo Barberini as well as in Antonio Barberini's favored church, Santa Maria della Concezione, where he...
(1602–1649) was born in Bevagna.
Main sights
- Palazzo dei Consoli, known from 1187, with Teatro F. Torti (1886)
- RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church of S. Michele Arcangelo (12th-13th centuries) - Romanesque church of S. Silvestro (1195).
- Church of Sant'Agostino (1316).
- Church of San Nicolò.
- Church of Santa Maria in Laurenzia, built in the 13th century and later enlarged.
- Church of San Vincenzo (known from the 12th century).
- The medieval walls.
- Ruins of a Roman Temple.
- Ruins of a Roman Theater.
- Roman Therme with mosaics of marine life.
- Castle of Cantalupo.
- Castle of Castelbuono.
- Church of LimigianoLimigianoLimigiano is a frazione of the comune of Bevagna in the Province of Perugia, Umbria, central Italy. It stands at an elevation of 333 metres above sea level. At the time of the Istat census of 2001 it had 56 inhabitants....
. - Castle of Torre del Colle.
Culture
Main events held in Bevagna include:- Primavera medievale (April): exposition of local culinaric and artistical products held by the Associazione Mercato delle Gaitte.
- Arte in Tavola (end of April): Spring festival with exhibitions by local artists, concerts, exhibitions of local products and dishes with degustation.
- Mercato delle Gaite (June): big summer festival with medieval banquettes, processions, challenges between the four gaite (quarters) and taverns.
The four Gaite of Bevagna are San Giorgio, San Giovanni, San Pietro and Santa Maria.
External links
- Official website
- Pro Loco Bevagna
- Bevagna.Net
- Mercato del Gaite - all about the festivals (in Italian)
- Mercato del Gaite English Video