The history of Cilavegna, an Italian municipality located in Lomellina, begins from the Iron Age, when those territories were inhabited by the people of Laevi.Further findings, however, would suggest occupation prior to this period, placing the appearance of the first settlements as early as around 5000 BCE. In the following centuries, moreover, there were many populations that occupied Lomellina and, for the specific territory of Cilavegna, the Roman one was the most significant one: in fact, it is attested that along a Roman road a nucleus called cella ad vineas was created, an encampment to refresh the marching troops... Another noteworthy period was from the end of the Early Middle Ages to the beginning of the Late Middle Ages, during which the settlement of Cilavinnis was first mentioned.. Later, in feudal times, several families alternated in the possession of the locality: among all are mentioned the Palatine counts of Lomello, but above all the Atellani and the Taverna families, who played an important role in the town in modern times.. Between the 16th and 19th centuries Cilavegna was conquered and occupied, for longer or shorter periods, by the French, Spanish and Austrians, until it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy..
Ancient age
In Lomellina, the region where Cilavegna is located, there are finds that testify to human presence since the Mesolithic, when flint working was typical (several finds come from excavations near Vigevano, Gambolò and Gravellona). Other finds dating back to the Neolithic help to understand how those populations were linked, as early as 5,000 B.C., to agriculture and animal husbandry..
Later, with progressive sedentarization, the production of ceramic containers (dating back to the Eneolithic) developed, but above all metalworking. The Bronze Age inaugurated this phase and was characterized by the considerable increase of human presence in Lomellina, evidenced by the various finds concerning new funerary practices as well (in 1986 tombs dating back to 1300 B.C. were found in Cilavegna)..
With the beginning of the Iron Age the Golasecca culture spread to Lomellina, which contributed to the development of the ancient Ligurian population, particularly the Laevi branch.. They built real villages thanks to the facilities offered by the proximity of the Ticino River, and the growing development allowed them to become trading partners with the other Ligurian population of the Libui and with the Etruscans; the latter, however, did not limit themselves to a simple coalition with the Laevi and in the 8th century BC invaded the territories of northern Italy (thus including Lomellina), forming the Padanian Etruria.
Livy recalls the Laevi with the following words:
The Gallic invasions of the 4th century B.C. caused the end of the Etruscan presence in Lomellina, initiating the La Tène culture. From this period on, vine cultivation developed in the territory,. which led, in the early 2nd century B.C., to the development of a particular vessel: the whirligig vase.Evidence of the Celtic presence in Lomellina is the still existing Galliana Street. Thus it was a phase of important productive growth, especially in the areas where settlements had sprung up: these areas, called hlau hmell,. consisted of small elevations close to watercourses, where agriculture could flourish with the cultivation of barley, wheat, panicum and millet.. The most flourishing period, however, occurred with the Romans.
The first indications of the presence of an encampment in the Cilavegnese area date back to the Roman rule over Cisalpine Gaul (1st century BC - 5th century AD). During this period, in fact, a nucleus called Cella ad vineas arose within the Regio XI Transpadana: it consisted of a castrum similar to those built along Roman roads and functioned as an encampment to refresh the marching armies; in particular, the road that crossed Cilavegna united Vercelli with Vigevano and also crossed the Galliana road, which started from Mortara and continued in the direction of Galliate. The existence of the road section as early as Roman times is confirmed by an indirect source: in the 10th century, in a concession made by King Berengar I to the bishop of Pavia, he included a section of the ancient road among the territories held by the village. Also mentioned in that document was an ancient church, dating back to Roman times (5th century AD), which constituted the first Christian religious settlement in the village; later the building would be replaced by the parish church, and so it is difficult to give a structural description of it, as well as its initial dedication..
Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
During the 6th century northern Italy was conquered by the Lombards, who named those territories Langobardia Maior with Pavia as its capital. At this stage Cilavegna became the seat of a gastald:. the latter had a function of controlling the dukes, as well as exercising jurisdictional and administrative sovereignty over its territory; the office was temporary and its importance declined as ducal power grew. From this period, in addition to a few artifacts, the names of some particularly important streets have remained: via Scaldasole, for example, joins Cilavegna to the village of the same name, in which the seat of the sculdascio (from the Lombard term Schuldhess..), i.e., one of the minor judges of a court (equivalent to the gastald), had been placed; another toponym dating back to the Lombard period is that of the area of Breia, near the church of Carmine: this name derives, in fact, from Brajda, which means "fund in the vicinity of the village.".
Between 773 and 774 Charlemagne's descent into Italy resulted in a period of great instability for all of northern Italy. Lomellina itself was the scene of the end of the Lombard kingdom, as on October 12, 773, Charlemagne defeated the Lombard king Desiderius at Silvabella (Mortara). With the final victory of the Franks, in 774 Longobardia Maior was annexed to the transalpine kingdom, and this brought about a change in the political structure of Lomellina as well: the kingdom was reorganized on the Frankish model (counts instead of dukes) and Cilavegna, in particular, was annexed in 847 to the "Lomellino committee," part of the March of Ivrea.
Later on, after the deposition of Charles the Fat in November 887, the territories of the Kingdom of Italy fell into the so-called "feudal anarchy" in which the first king was Berengar I; he played a very important role in the establishment of the first nucleus of the country since, as stated in a document dating back to the 10th century, he granted the bishop of Pavia to build a fortress in Cilavinnis. In fact, at that time the threat of the Hungarians was felt to be imminent, but the borders of the territories of the Kingdom of Italy were not sufficiently defended: it was then decided to fortify several areas in northern Italy. As Roberto Rampi reports in his 1965 essay Cilavegna: from its origins to the present day:
In addition to the castle, three gates patrolled by armed guards were built at their respective town entrances;. they were later named after the area occupied or the neighboring churches and are therefore remembered as "St. Martin's gate" (north of the town, near the church of St. Martin), "gate to Albonese" (southwest) and "St. Anthony's gate" (southeast, near the small church of St. Anthony). Unlike the castle, however, these buildings were not made of masonry, but were limited to wooden gates.
In such a situation of isolationism, in which each village equipped itself with walls to defend itself from possible invaders, the economy of Lomellina underwent a major decline;. peasants and breeders were responsible for the sustenance of the communities, while the nobles in arms were concerned with the defense of the city borders. In addition, blacksmiths and carpenters became increasingly important to feed the encastellation industry, while trade was neglected. From a religious point of view, Cilavegna was enriched in the Romanesque period by the small church of St. Anthony; it was supposed to become an important place of worship, but over time the project was never finished and the little that had been accomplished was demolished and remodeled to a simple chapel at the end of the 18th century.
Late Middle Ages
With the reconquest (952) of ancient Ticinum by Otto I, the Kingdom of Italy became a permanent part of the Holy Roman Empire again, and this led to the increase of Pavia's influence in Lomellina: on August 8, 1164, Frederick I Barbarossa placed the committee of Lomello under the jurisdiction of Pavia, decreeing the establishment of several lordships (including Celavega) subject to it.. This concession was later renewed by Henry VI (December 7, 1181) and Frederick II (August 29, 1219, November 29, 1220, May 1232). Also, during this period, the reconstruction of the parish church was initiated, which still retained the first core dating back to the 5th century. The new project consisted of a Romanesque-style church with three naves, while the materials adopted were granite and brick for the vertical parts and wood for the ceiling. It did not feature a tabernacle, which was added only in the 16th century.
Among the illustrious births of the 12th century is that of Blessed Alberto Calvi; he was born in about 1175 and, after embarking on a religious path, became first canon of the cathedral of Novara and from 1221 bishop of Savona (though not consecrated until 1224 in Milan). In 1227 he returned to Novara because of a diatribe between Savona and Genoa, and then died around October 8, 1230. In 2012 his relics were moved inside the church of Santa Maria, where an altar that preserves them has been dedicated to him.
Cellavegna, already part since 847 of the territory of the counts of Lomello, then palatine counts (Lomellino committee), did not undergo any change administratively until the second half of the 13th century, when some noble citizens of Lomellina clashed with the feudal lords:. Cilavegna came into the power of the Beccarias, and the first exponent of this family was Manfredino, invested with the title of Lord on November 8, 1290.
Later, with the conquest of Pavia by the Viscontis (1359), the fief became part of the Duchy of Milan, within the county of Pavia. The change in political order did not favor the Beccarias, who in a short time lost their possessions: Cilavegna saw the last one of that family, Castellino, in 1412, as it underwent the confiscation of the territory in favor of Maruzio Tommaso, enfeoffed on December 4, 1422, by Duke Filippo Maria Visconti. After the first decades of the 15th century, with the re-establishment of peace, there was a gradual development of agricultural production and the flourishing of various artisan activities in the village; this progress was accompanied by the building of some sacred places, such as the church of San Martino and that of Santa Maria. The former consists of a single-nave building, which can be recognized in the Romanesque style;. the latter, on the other hand, was a simple little chapel, which would become important only when it was entrusted to a Dominican order.
At the same time, different lords followed one another in the village: after not even twenty years, the fief was ceded to Francesco di Castelbarco (July 21, 1441),. prince of Marignano and descendant of the Lodrone counts, but the latter did not keep it for long because on March 5, 1466, Cilavegna passed to Alberico Maletta. Again, as was the case with Maruzio Tommaso, this was not a nobleman by birth, but a man enriched by the acquisition of several fiefs and who, thanks to the wealth he accumulated, became a count palatine.