“Fortified Rural Houses of the Hospital in the Medieval Priory of Lombardy: Preliminary Remarks”, in Castelos das Ordens Militares, 2 vols, ed. I.C. Ferreira Fernades (Lisbon,

Castelos das Ordens MilitaresAtas do Encontro Internacional

Edição

Direção-Geral do Património Cultural (DGPC)

Coordenação Científica

Isabel Cristina Ferreira Fernandes (GEsOS – Município de Palmela)

Lisboa, março de 2014

C A STE LO SDA S O R D E N S

M I LITA R E S

293

Fortified rural houses of the Hospital in the medieval Priory of Lombardy: preliminary remarksELENA BELLOMOHonorary research associate, Cardiff University

The medieval priory of Lombardy, which approximately corresponded to Northwest Italy, played a very influential role within the general organization of the Hospital thanks to its stra-tegic location between the Mediterranean and Continental Europe1. A comprehensive study of the Hospitaller settlements in the priory remains to be undertaken but the Order has recently been the subject of much scholarly interest2. The architectonical features of the Hospitaller houses have rarely been studied in detail. Only major complexes such as San Giovanni di Pré in Genoa and San Pietro in Consavia in Asti have been carefully examined3. Flavia Varaldo Grottin and Fulvio Cervini have worked extensively on the architecture and remains of the Hospi-taller houses of Liguria4 while no similar survey has been done in Piedmont and Lombardy. It is worth noting that the majority of the Hospitaller settlements underwent very significant reconstruction works, and it is particularly hard to trace their medieval and early modern phases of building. This paper aims at examining where, when and why the Hospital erected fortified houses in the priory of Lombardy, focusing on some significant cases traced so far5.

Investigating the architecture of Hospitaller houses in the medieval priory of Lombardy gives rise to several problems. Firstly, in some cases buildings containing fortified elements are sometimes defined in primary sources by terms unconnected to military architecture. This se-mantic ambiguity complicates the process of identifying buildings that actually were fortified.

294 IV – FORTIFICAÇÕES DA ORDEM DO TEMPLO E DA ORDEM DO HOSPITAL

For instance, the word arealis usually refers to either a shelter for animals or a storehouse. However, some evidence shows that these buildings could also have defensive walls and towers, and this can be determined only through archaeological investigations or when primary sources keep detailed descriptions of the buildings6.

Secondly, most of the Hospitaller medieval charters are lost or dispersed. Thus the pau-city of references to some settlements in primary sources makes it very difficult to ascertain whether fortified structures were actually authorised by the Order and when.

Hospitaller houses mainly consisted of rural complexes or suburban convents and churches which later became included in the neighbouring towns and villages7. Therefore, we should not expect to find major fortified complexes in this area similar to those erected by the military orders in active war theatres. However, during the middle ages Italian architectural tradition was no stranger to the designing of buildings which could also serve very limited military functions but which did include some kind of fortifications. These could either be case torri and caseforti, located in villages and towns, or towers and fortified farms scattered in the countryside. The fluid political situation of the time characterized by widespread insecurity and the presence of competing powers within the same territory led to an increase in the erect-ing of buildings containing military features in their architecture. These features also served as lasting symbols of power and prestige even after they ceased to have a defensive purpose8.

A first inquiry into medieval charters immediately reveals how rare references to this kind of construction are in documents relevant to the Hospitaller settlements. For instance, in Liguria the only example is a mention of a turrim unam, cum domo et cassamentis sold to the Hospital in Porto Maurizio (nowadays part of the town of Imperia) by Franceschino, a son of a lay affiliate of the Order, Guglielmo Mantellus, in 12689. It has been argued that this was the first nucleus of the Hos-pitaller presence in this place10. It is apparent that the tower, located close to the local market, was built by the Mantellus family also as a symbol of their influence. This transaction is a good example of how the Hospital could have acquired buildings that already had some kind of military features11.

Towers were also present in some rural settlements belonging to the Hospital. Recent studies have pointed out that in the middle ages rural fortified settlements often originated from an isolated tower that later became the fulcrum of an expanded settlement. The erecting of towers and other minor fortified structures in the countryside was a widespread phenomenon in medieval Italy. Already in the XII century these formed a distinctive element of the land-scape in several areas12. In primary sources they are termed domus fortis, mota, turris, and castrum, different words that often related to very similar buildings which served multiple functions13. While in some cases their actual military value was limited, they undoubtedly played a significant role in maintaining control of the territory and formed centres of farming

295FORTIFIED RURAL HOUSES OF THE HOSPITAL IN THE MEDIEVAL PRIORY OF LOMBARDY: PRELIMINARY REMARKS

activities which required protection14. When the family or institution which owned the tower or the casaforte was also able to exert increasing rights on the neighbouring area, these buildings could even become the nucleus of new villages15. However, in general they remained isolated settlements which aimed at controlling the neighbouring area and displayed this ambition also by including military features in their architecture16.

The Hospitaller priory of Lombardy certainly had rural houses defined as castra in the primary sources, where the presence of proper medieval fortifications is unquestionable and can be studied in more detail. As we shall see, they vary significantly in their specifications.

The first type I will discuss is that of the casaforte, usually a compact fortified building often defined by the presence of a tower. An edifice included in the former Templar house of Murello (close to Cuneo in Piedmont) perfectly fits this description and it was defined as cas-trum or castello in surviving primary sources (Fig. 1). The first attestation to a fortified building in Murello dates from 1389 when a deed was drawn up in castro domus Murelli17. Since no pre-vious charter mentions the castle, it is likely that it had been built by the Hospitallers after the acquisition of the house from the Temple18. Further information on this and the other buildings of the house emerges from a prioral visit which took place in 1494. According to this descrip-tion the Hospitaller complex included a church19, the castle, and several farming buildings20 (a cassina21, two ovens22, a watermill, a sawmill23, and a dovecot24). The document specifically describes the casaforte as castrum et fortalicium, cum ponte elevato et fossatum. It also states that dictum castrum est competenter utensilibus et armis munitum25. Nowadays the casaforte is a property of the Curia and the parish priest of Murello lives there26.

A recent thesis convincingly argues that the casaforte underwent three different phases of construction. The embattled tower in the south-east corner of the building is in fact the oldest part, certainly built before 1389. Originally it was an independent edifice with loopholes on all sides which were later closed27. Later on another building was erected on the south side of the tower. This edifice had a lodge on top and may have been constructed under the mastership of Giacomo dal Pozzo (1417–1449), when the church of S. Giovanni Battista was also erected close to the castle (Fig. 2)28. A third addition is first described in a prioral visit from 1588. This building is placed on the north side of the tower and is attached to the two former edifices29.

It has been hypothesized that the tower controlled an important road, and in fact Murello is located on the so-called Salt Road which connected alpine passes to the Saluzzo area30. It is also true that this strategic position made the house a particularly interesting possession for several political authorities. In 1251, probably in order to support Thomas II of Savoy, pope Innocent IV informed the Grand Master of the Temple that he had forbidden the Templar Master of Lombardy from giving the house of Murello and its estate to the commune of Asti, which was


a rival of Thomas31. In 1272 it was Charles I of Anjou, while engaged in an incursion in Piedmont, who took this house under his protection32. This information highlights the importance of the former Templar house, and it seems reasonable that, after acquiring it, the Hospital decided to provide it with a defensive tower that progressively became the most significant construction in the settlement. Moreover, the specifics of this complex, consisting of an original tower later flanked by other edifices, fully corresponds to contemporary building practices of rural forti-fied settlements33. The defensive purpose of the tower was also emphasized by the later addition of a drawbridge and a moat34, and is additionally confirmed in the description from 1494 which specifies that it was armis munitum35. Thus the house of Murello was a busy farming house, located in a very favourable position. Further, due to the presence of effective fortifications, it was able to attract a settled population which became the nucleus of the new village of Murello.

Most probably in the very same period when the house of Murello grew into a cas-trum another Hospitaller house in Morano sul Po (a place close to Alessandria in Piedmont) underwent the same development. The house of Morano is first mentioned in primary sources in 1210 but it had probably been founded by the Marquises of Monferrats in the previous cen-tury36. The Monferrats had forged a special link with the Hospital thanks to their involvement in the Crusades and the Latin East37. The patronage of the Hospitaller settlement of Morano also served a political aim since the convent controlled a strategic area of the Monferrats’ dominions. In fact, Morano was on the border between the Marquises’ area of influence and the commune of Vercelli38. A long struggle between these two contenders for the control of this place is already documented in 1210. In 1222 the erecting of a Vercellese borgo nuovo on the Hospitaller lands of Morano initiated a long conflict which also required papal intervention39. In 1224 even the neighboring Hospitaller house of Ghemme was plundered by the Vercellese40. In 1286 there were further frictions between the Vercellese Church and the Hospital over the house of Morano41. In this tense situation it is not surprising that the Hospital decided to furnish this convent with some fortifications. Whereas from 1210 to 1286 the settlement is simply defined in primary sources as mansio, hospitalis, domus or villa, after a long silence, it is, in 1382, called castrum et villa or castrum et locum42. Over half a century later, in 1443, the Hospital eventually exchanged its property in Morano with some landed possessions of the Monferrats located in Occimiano, Trino, and Casale. In the charter reporting this transac-tion Morano is still described as castrum et villa or castrum et terra43. It is apparent that the settlement had two focal points: the village and a fortified building belonging to the Hospital. Nowadays this fortification no longer exists. However, the information kept in the primary sources well describes the reasons that led the Hospital to erect this fortified structure in a settlement long threatened by a rival and hostile political body.


Another fortified Hospitaller house lies not far from the aforementioned convent of Murello: San Giovanni della Motta in Cavallermaggiore. The complex nowadays includes some farm buildings, a manor house, and a chapel decorated with beautiful fifteenth-century frescoes. As this house was also turned into a private residence it has undergone very sig-nificant changes during the intervening centuries44. While the frescoes in the chapel have attracted some scholarly interest, the major alterations to the farm and residential buildings have made a comprehensive study of these edifices very complicated.

A first interesting element relevant to the settlement is the presence in its name of the word Motta. In medieval documents from Northern Italy this word originally indicated a flat natural or artificial hill and, later on, also came to include the buildings constructed on this kind of high ground. Since these edifices were often somewhat fortified the word was also commonly used to indicate a fortification and could be a synonym of the words castrum turris, and domus fortis. According to Aldo A. Settia, in Piedmont the word mota probably appeared in the XIII century and in this area it has always indicated a fortified rural building irrespec-tive of its location45. The Hospitaller house of Cavallermaggiore is built on a plain, and the fact that it was identified as a mota suggests that it actually contained some kind of fortified ele-ment from very early times46. Several other rural fortified buildings located in the very same area were called motte (for instance, the recently collapsed tower of Mottorune, the Motta of Sanfrè, and the Motta dei Gastaldi). They consisted of an isolated tower or of a casaforte47. It has been argued that the presence of medieval fortified settlements in the countryside is particularly striking in areas which have recently been agriculturally developed. Here they had the task of controlling and uniting vast properties located far from urban centers48. The erecting of several isolated rural building displaying some military features in the area in question seems to confirm this theory since their presence is clearly connected to the need to protect centers of farming activities.

Nothing is known about the foundation of San Giovanni della Motta. The surviving evi-dence first mentions its master, Olivero di Ponzone, in 138149. In 1435 the complex underwent a significant modification when John, master of San Giovanni della Motta, obtained the per-mission to enlarge it in order to build his own rooms50. It has been hypothesized that during these works the chapel was built as well. It was later decorated by the painter Giovanni Turcotto. The frescoes, which also include the coat of arms of the noble Piossasco family, have been dated to the last decades of the XV or the beginning of the XVI century. It is worth noting that under these frescoes there is an earlier decoration which confirms that the chapel was erected and decorated before Turcotto painted it. The church was initially an isolated building and was later united to the manor house and re-orientated51.


The extensive alterations to the structure of the house make it very difficult to find me-dieval features that could be connected to the original mota. However, local scholar Giuseppe Carità has made several surveys of this farm, finding some evidence of pointed arcades on the ground floor and lancet windows on the first floor of the western facade of the manor house. Moreover, the original battlements and a decorative frame are still visible inside the tower of the manor house and on the south side of the chapel (Figs. 3, 4)52. These features may date to the late XIV– early XV century and could hypothetically be associated with the original mota53.

A good idea of the later structure of the house can be drawn from modern cabrei, illustrated registers of the Hospitaller property, in which several representations of the settlement are kept. The oldest one is from 1708–1709. Although it is imprecise, it clearly depicts a complex which included several farming buildings (among which there is an embattled tower, most probably a dovecot), a manor house, comprising a tower flanked by a lower building, and a church (Fig. 5)54. In 1734 a better portrayal of the house was drawn. It illustrates the further evolution of the settlement which had developed into a quadrilateral complex55. Thus the evo-lution of San Giovanni della Motta may be paradigmatic of the typical development of many medieval rural settlements in the area. The original nucleus of the house, perhaps a casaforte with a tower built in the late XIV–XV century, was later bordered by several farm buildings and a church. Later on these structures were eventually united in vast complex articulated around a central courtyard.

The Hospitaller castle named della Rotta, located close to Moncalieri, experienced a very different genesis. An inscription on its facade records precisely that it was built in 1452 under the authority of the prior of Lombardy, Giorgio di Valperga56. Today the castle is a private property, which many people visit because it is considered to be one of most haunted castles in Italy. It is of a typical quadrangular design57. The facade is the most interesting part of the edifice (Fig. 6). It is divided into three sections. A central tower is located above the entrance which bears the aforenoted inscription along with the coat of arms of the Valperga family. Above the door evidence of the drawbridge which gave access across the moat is still apparent. The north-western side of the facade has three levels and is decorated by two series of mul-lioned windows with two lights. This section is higher than the one built on the other side of the tower which has only two levels and two squared windows. According to the drawing kept in XVIII century cabrei the facade has undergone some changes in the last centuries that have not, however, very significantly modified its general aspect and shape58 (Fig. 7).

The inscription on the tower of the Castle della Rotta clearly states that this new forti-fication was built in order to expand a pre-existing Hospitaller house dedicated to St. John. Indeed the military orders played a crucial role in the development of this area. The village


of Moncalieri grew around the Templar house that controlled the local bridge on the Po river. Similarly, the neighbouring borgo nuovo of Villastellone was founded on Templar land59. This district was of great importance in the region thanks to the copious water supplies and the presence of bridges on local rivers and streams. The Hospital had landed property in the Moncalierese before 128360. When the Temple was dissolved, the Hospital inherited its posses-sions creating a solid network of houses in the area61.

Giorgio di Valperga was a determined and active prior (1446–1467). During his priorship Giorgio resolutely acted in order to strengthen and defend his Order. He paid notable attention to the discipline of local masters and also tried to effectively protect the landed property of the Order which had often been seized and dispersed before his appointment62. This phenomenon had also involved the area of Moncalieri. In 1416 the Hospital had retreated from the very same area south of the village which contains La Rotta when the prior Filippo di Langueglia had entrusted the house of the neighbouring village of Villastellone to Franceschino Villa, lord of Villastellone63. With this concession the Order definitively lost control over this house and its property losing an important point of reference south of Moncalieri.

Shortly after becoming prior Giorgio di Valperga decided to expand and consolidate the Hospital’s presence in the very same area where it had been undermined by the loss of Villastellone. It is impossible to ascertain whether the former Hospitaller settlement had any military features. On the contrary the new house was intentionally provided with distinct and effective military elements such as a tower, a moat, a drawbridge, and a central courtyard behind defensive walls. The erecting of this castle performed a double function: it clearly reasserted the authority of the Order in the area and also protected a centre of farming, located close to the confluence of the Banna stream into the Po River. This is another case of a building characterized by apparent military features which not only served a practical defensive pur-pose but also had a symbolic meaning.

The fortified houses examined so far are all located in Piedmont. I would like to conclude my paper by briefly examining the most significant Hospitaller fortified settlement in modern Lombardy: the castle of Inverno, close to Pavia. Inverno and part of the neighbouring terri-tory of Villanterio were granted to the Hospital by Emperor Frederick I in 117664. This place was strategically located along the roman road that connected Pavia to Piacenza65. The castle of Inverno is much more impressive than the fortifications examined so far. It is of quadri-lateral design. The towers in the corners are still preserved and vary in both size and shape. The south-east tower, is circular in shape, is narrow and 23 m high. The north-eastern torre maestra is of quadrilateral form, is about 16 m high and is flanked by a lower building; the south-west tower is circular (Fig. 8), while the north-west one is quadrilateral (Fig. 9). They are


both about 10–11m high. The differences in shape and height, and the alternation of circular and quadrangular towers represent a unique building pattern in this area. The castle facade still has visible signs of the former drawbridge; remains of the moat can also be seen next to a stone bridge that now leads to the main entrance. Nowadays the castle is divided into apartments66.

Both the facade and the castle interior, as well as the church of S. Giovanni Battista which stands in front of it, bear coats of arms of the Visconti family with a monogram that stands for the name Christoforus (Fig. 10). A Cristoforo Visconti, master of Inverno, is first mentioned in primary sources dating from 1466. He died before the end of the year 147867. Cristoforo and his successor, Giovanni Pietro, both belonged to the Viscontis, the signori of Milano who had forged a very notable link with the Hospital since the XIII century68. In all likelihood Cristoforo played a crucial role in the edification of the present castle, which can be actually dated to his period of mastership. Primary sources inform us that in 1449 during the struggle between Francesco Sforza, heir of the Viscontis, and the Milanese Repubblica Ambrosiana, the settlement of Inverno was assaulted by people from Milano. A charter reporting these events mentions the rocca of Inverno, attesting to the presence of a fortified settlement before the construction works authorised by Cristoforo Visconti69. The rebuilt castle not only con-solidated the local Hospitaller presence but, above all, was located on a strategic road and was also close to the border between the duchy of Milano and the territories under Venetian rule.

In conclusion the evidence traced so far shows that in the Priory of Lombardy the Hos-pital decided to fortify some rural settlements or build new castles between the end of the XIV century and the mid-XV century. The primary purpose of these fortifications was to pro-tect centres of farming and preserve the unity of landed property in some areas. In the case of Murello this function was so well-performed that a new village developed around the Hos-pitaller settlement. It is also apparent that these buildings were both intended as real fortifi-cations and as symbols of the prestige and influence of the Order. The cases of Murello and Cavallermaggiore suggest that a common type of Hospitaller rural fortified building was the casaforte, defined by the presence of a tower which was sometimes the first real defensive structure erected in the settlement. More complex fortifications were built in the XV century, such as the Castle della Rotta with its typical quadrangular design, or were the result of a long series of building works such as the modern complex of Cavallermaggiore. In this picture only the reconstruction of the castle of Inverno seems to have a precise political aim connected to the need to control a strategic road and a section of the border of the duchy of Milano. It can also be noted that, in general, Hospitaller rural fortified settlements do not show peculiar architectural features but align with general local building practices. Again, the castle in In-verno is a significant exception that would be worth studying.


This first inquiry into fortifications in Hospitaller rural settlements of the priory of Lom-bardy has proved to be very productive, highlighting a new promising line of research which makes use of both written sources and architectural evidence. Since most of the houses underwent significant alterations over time archaeological surveys would be crucial in order to distinguish the original structures of the Hospitaller settlements from their later developments. This combi-nation of academic approaches would give rise to an innovative and truly multidisciplinary study.


Fig. 1

The casaforte of Murello (courtesy of R. Spinnato).


Fig. 2

The casaforte and the church of Murello, 1716–1717 (AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 181, c. 81).


Fig. 5

The House of Cavallermaggiore, 1708/9 (AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 92, c. 5).

Fig. 3

Cavallermaggiore. Decorative frame inside the tower(courtesy of G. Carità).

Fig. 4

Cavallermaggiore. Decorative frame on the south side of the chapel (courtesy of G. Carità).


Fig. 8

Fig. 6 Fig. 7

The Castle della Rotta. The Castle della Rotta, 1787 (AST, AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 158, c. 19).

The Castle of Inverno. The torre maestra and the south-east tower.


Fig. 10

Monogram of master Cristoforo and coat of arms of the Viscontis (Inverno – Church of S. Giovanni Battista).

Fig. 9

The Castle of Inverno. South-west and north-west towers.


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1 I would like to thank Bruno Ciliento, Alexia Gros-jean, and Denis Pringle for their suggestions. Cristina Sereno, Maria Laura Mazzetti, Cristina Gasca, and Marinella Bellocchio have given a crucial contribu-tion to my archival and bibliographic search. Giuseppe Carità has provided me with pictures and ideas about Cavallermaggiore. Riccardo Spinnato kindly gave me his permission to consult his thesis on Murello. I would also like to thank Don Siro Longhi, parish priest of S. Giovanni in Inverno, for his kindness.

On the Hospitaller Priory of Lombardy, see Bordone, 2000a, pp. 13–14, 2000b, pp. 43–79.

2 «Gentilhuomini», 2000; Costa Restagno, ed., 1999, 2001, 2009; Albini, 2001a, 2001b, pp. 83–116, 2002, pp. 19–53.

3 Dagnino & Rossini, 1997; Rossini, 1999, pp. 71–110.

4 Cervini, 1999, pp. 235–270; Varaldo Grottin, 1999, pp. 271–317.

5 In the limited space at my disposal it is not possible to investigate all the Hospitaller settlements containing some kind of military features.

6 Settia, (2005), pp. 9–12.

7 Bellomo, forthcoming.

8 Settia, (1981), pp. 273–297; Bur, ed., 1986.

9 Accame, 1902, pp. 102–103.

10 Tacchella, 1977, p. 236; Pavoni, 2009, pp. 44–45.

11 On this house see Tacchella, 1977, pp. 235–244; Cervini, 1999, pp. 244–248; Varaldo Grottin, 1999, pp. 289–292.

12 Settia, 1981, pp. 281ff.

13 Settia, (1980), pp. 31–54.

14 For the debate concerning the role of rural fortifica-tions see, for instance, Comba, 2007, pp. 14–15.

15 Settia, 1980, pp. 53–54.

16 Settia, 1980, pp. 31–54.

17 Archivio di Stato di Torino (AST), Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, Commenda di Murello, mazzo 175, fascicolo 1, 20 marzo 1389; Spinnato, 2006, p. 36. Some scholars think that the castle was built by the Templars but no evidence supports this statement. See, for instance, Griseri, 1978, p. 61; Avonto, 1982, p. 88.

18 Cartario dell’abbazia di Casanova fino all’anno 1313/ Ed. Armando Tallone, Biblioteca della Società Storica Subalpina (BSSS) 14, Pinerolo: Società Storica Subal-pina, 1903, doc. 430, p. 342; Il «Libro Rosso» del comune di Chieri/ Eds Ferdinando Gabotto, Francesco Guasco di Bisio, BSSS 75, Pinerolo: Società Storica Subalpina, 1918, docs. 112–113, pp. 190–194; Trota, 1984, p. 48; I registri della cancelleria angioina/ Ed. Jolanda Donsì Gentile, Vol. VIII, Naples: Accademia Pontaniana, 1951, doc. 587, p. 209; AST, Materie politiche per rapporto all’interno, Ordini cavallereschi, Ordine dei Templari, mazzo 1, nos 5, 7; Bellomo, 2008, pp. 334–336.

19 Spinnato, 2006, pp. 103–118.

20 Carità, 2000, p. 151.

21 Spinnato, 2006, pp. 126–140.

22 Spinnato, 2006, pp. 141–146.

23 Spinnato, 2006, pp. 147–162.

24 Spinnato, 2006, p. 36. Dovecoats could also have a de-fensive function. On these buildings, see Lusso, 2007, pp. 87–166.

25 Archivio del Comune di Murello, Registro 4, Storie varie, fascicolo 22, Notizie storiche, 10 luglio 1494, mentioned in Spinnato, 2006, p. 43.

26 For a description of the building as it is today, see Spinnato, 2006, pp. 67ff.

27 Spinnato, 2006, pp. 58–59.

28 Sarcinelli, 1990, p. 15; Spinnato, 2006, p. 59.

29 AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, Com-menda di Murello, mazzo 175, fascicolo 18, 30 gennaio 1588; Spinnato, 2006, p. 59.

30 Bellomo, 2008, pp. 65–66; Palmucci Quaglino, 1988, p. 66; Spinnato, 2006, p. 59.

31 Chartarum, Historiae Patriae Monumenta edita iussu regis Karoli Alberti, Tomus I, doc. 951, cols. 1406–1407.

32 I registri della cancelleria angioina, VIII, doc. 587, p. 209.

33 See, for instance, Longhi, 2007, p. 71.

34 It seems that the moat was filled in in 1588 because it was compromising the stability of the church. Ghersi, 1871, p. 95.

35 In 1618 the castle was assaulted by a group of Spaniards. Ghersi, 1871, p. 78; Spinnato, 2006, p. 60.

Notes


36 I Biscioni/ Eds Giulio Cesare Faccio, M. Ranno, Rosaldo Ordano, BSSS 178, Vol. I/3, Turin, 1956, pp. 50–51, doc. 504; Settia, 2000, pp. 103–107; Bordone, 2000, p. 85; Ricaldone, 1979–1980, Vol. II, pp. 533–558; Bordone, 1999, pp. 350–352, 361; Grillo di Ricaldone, 2009, pp. 457–472.

37 Secondary works on this lineage are listed in Bellomo, 2012, Vol. II, p. 814, n. 54.

38 Bordone, 2000, pp. 85–86.

39 Ricaldone, 1979–1980, pp. 534 ff; Bordone, 1999, pp. 351–352; Grillo di Ricaldone, 2008, pp. 457–461.

40 Ricaldone, 1979–1980, p. 545; Grillo di Ricaldone, 2008, p. 461.

41 Bordone, 1999, pp. 351–352.

42 Ricaldone, 1979–1980, p. 731; Grillo di Ricaldone, 2008, p. 461.

43 Ricaldone, 1979–1980, pp. 548–551, 557; Grillo di Ricaldone, 2008, pp. 464, 465, 471.

44 Turin, Archivio della Soprintendenza ai Beni architet-tonici e paesaggistici della Provincia di Torino (AS-BAT), Scheda A 01/00006898, Compilatore G. Carità, 16.VII.1978.

45 Settia, 1980, pp. 32–34.

46 Some scholars argued that also the Templar Order had built a fortified house nearby but no primary source mentions the presence of the Order in Cavallermaggiore. Bellomo, 2008, p. 351.

47 Carità, 1990, pp. 321–322; Longhi, 2007, pp. 67–68.

48 Settia, 2005, pp. 12–16.

49 Cosola, 1996, p. 43.

50 Turletti, 1974, p. 265.

51 Vacchetta, 1933, p. 49–77; Pera, Galletto, Ricaldone, 1998 (which includes several inaccuracies); Galante Garrone, 1990, pp. 392–393.

52 This decoration is a cornice a merletto, a cornice or corbel table having the appearance of ‘lace trimming’. In this case it consists of a projecting cornice or wall-face supported by a row of pendant triangular corbels, each made up of three courses of bricks laid as headers.

53 ASBAT, Scheda A 01/00006898, Compilatore G. Carità, 16.VII.1978.

54 AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 92, cabreo from 1708–1709, c. 5.

55 AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 92, cabreo from 1734, c. 2.

56 For the text of the inscription see Ricaldone, 1979– –1980, pp. 509, 512–513; Rebaudengo, 1973, p. 124.

57 Very few secondary works mention this castle: Rical-done, 1979–1980, p. 509; Rebaudengo, 1973, pp. 124– –125; Surace, Imarisio & Occhiena, 1999, p. 31.

58 See, for instance, AST, Sezioni Riunite, Finanze, Ordine di Malta, mazzo 158, cabreo from 1787, c. 19.

59 Bellomo, 2008, pp. 159–167, 285–289, 303–307.

60 Inventario e regesto dell’archivio comunale di Mon-calieri fono all’anno 1418/ Ed. Ferdinando Gabotto, Miscellanea di Storia Italiana, Turin, III series, Vol. V (1900), p. 364; Documenti inediti e sparsi per la Storia di Torino/ Ed. Francesco Cognasso, BSSS 65, Pinerolo: Società Storica Subalpina, 1914, p. 336.

61 Bellomo, 2008, pp. 289, 306.

62 Bordone, 2000, pp. 65–67.

63 Ricaldone, 1979–1980, pp. 505–508; Bordone, 2000, p. 64.

64 Friderici I. Diplomata inde ab a. MCLXXXI. usque ad a. MCXC./ Ed. Heinrich Appelt, Monumenta Germaniae Historica (MGH), Diplomata Regum et imperatorum Germaniae. Vol. X/3, Hanover, MGH, 1990, doc. 647, pp. 148–149.

65 Bascapè, 1984, p. 12.

66 Arena, 1983, pp. 11–17; http://www.lombardiabenicul-turali.it/architetture/schede/1A130-00012

67 Segù, 1984, pp. 34–35.

68 Colombo, (1926), pp. 185–240; Albini, 1999.

69 Bascapè, 1926, pp. 56–57, 135.

Documents

“Fortified Rural Houses of the Hospital in the Medieval Priory of Lombardy: Preliminary Remarks”, in Castelos das Ordens Militares, 2 vols, ed. I.C. Ferreira Fernades (Lisbon,