The Palace of the Mount of Piety is located in Crema, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Commissioned in 1569 and completed in 1586, this building served as the institution's headquarters until 1991. Renowned for its architectural significance, the palace reflects the area's heritage and is a notable destination for those interested in history and culture.
History
Jews in Crema The earliest known document attesting to a Jewish presence is rather late compared to neighboring cities (Soncino, Cremona) and dates back to the year 1447, when Crema had become a possession of the brief Ambrosian Republic and the city government asked the new captains from Milan to confirm the facilities towards Jews already granted by the Duke of Milan, an indication that the community, however, had already been settled there for some time.
Beginning in the year 1450, when Crema became a possession of the Republic of Venice, a series of regulations known as conducts were established to govern the lives of the Jewish community. These conducts were revised several times and outlined various aspects of life for the Jews, including the interest rates they were allowed to charge in their primary activity of lending money and their relationships with other citizens. Initially, the regulations were relatively lenient, but they gradually became more restrictive. For example, there was a requirement for Jews to sew a yellow star onto their clothing as a means of identification.
The Jews of Crema, who settled in the Contrada del Ghirlo, asked the city's Grand Council in 1468 to open a synagogue, even accepting an increase in the annual census, but the Doge of Venice denied permission.
The tombstone with Hebrew characters is now on display at the Civic Museum of Crema and the Cremasque.
It is established, however, that Jews were allowed to maintain a cemetery, although its exact location remains unknown, and it was likely situated outside the city walls. Canobio, in the 19th century, mentioned the discovery of a gravestone but did not provide details about its location or purpose. More notably, in 1960, a gravestone was found on a property owned by Vimercati Sanseverino, and it was in good condition. The inscription, written in Hebrew characters, mentions Aaron Moses, son of Lacov Levi, who died in Brescia on the second day of Tishrei in the year 251 of the minor era. He was buried in Crema, and this date corresponds to 17 September in the Gregorian calendar year of 1490.The explanatory epigraph on the side of the plaque displayed in one of the cloisters of the Crema and Cremasco Civic Museum can be seen.
There is no definitive source indicating when the Jewish community left Crema.
The Mount of Piety: 15th–16th century The Piety Monasteries, originally established to aid the less privileged, also emerged from an anti-Jewish sentiment. These institutions spread throughout the 15th century, with the Mount of Piety in Crema being founded following a resolution by the city's Grand Council on 24 April 1496. This act formalized the creation of the institution, although the council had already allocated 200 ducats—funded by a duty on linen cloth—toward its establishment on 20 May 1492. This allocation likely followed the influence of Ludovico della Torre's sermons. On 15 July 1493, the council adopted regulations for the Mount of Piety, drawing inspiration from the model of the Mount of Piety of Padua. The local resolution was officially ratified by a ducal decree from the Venetian government on 12 July 1496.
The main proponent was the preacher Michele d'Aquis (Michele d'Acqui, Michele dell'Acque, Michele dell'Acqua), an Frias minor who was elected along with ten other citizens (Scipione Benzoni, Manfredo Lucini, Andrea Martinengo, Bartolomeo Canevari, Antonio De' Capitani, Bartolomeo Marcone Vimercati, Giacomino Zurla, Obizio De' Almenno, Giovanni Antonio Alfieri, Matteo Bravi) to the first council of the institution. The clergyman supported generous handouts, a collection concomitant with the Corpus Christi procession, and author of a competition between the four city gates, not to mention donations from nobles, clergy, and proceeds from subscriptions. A sort of confraternity also remained active for a decade, donating through the payments of voluntary adherents a sum for the Mount's treasury.
As for location, the Mount did not have its venue for the first decades of its life; it was housed initially in the house of Jacopo Zurla, then in a house belonging to the nobleman Bernardino Bremaschi; further relocation to the house of a certain Nicola Leale, moreover already previously granted to the Jews for their activity, where it remained until the completion of the palace that became its final headquarters in 1586.
In the meantime, in the year 1514, the Mount was spoliated: in that year the city was besieged by troops of the coalition between the Duchy of Milan, the Spanish Empire, and the Helvetic Confederation. The city was being defended by the condottiero Renzo da Ceri; at a critical stage of the siege, with the population at exhaustion and wages for the soldiers languishing, Renzo da Ceri took possession of the assets of the Mount of Piety and Santa Maria della Croce, having 15 coins called petacchie minted with only the image of St. Mark on one side.
As for lending, in the early years, it was free of charge, but by 1544 the Mount had already acquired a considerable real estate patrimony. However, the income was quite meager, partly due to the need to honor the testamentary bequests of benefactors. For this reason, interest-free rates were introduced for small loans, with progressively higher rates for larger sums. A few decades later, the Bishop of Piacenza, who still had jurisdiction over the city just a few months before the establishment of the Diocese of Crema, intervened, accusing the administrators of profiting from the application of interest rates, thereby violating the founding principles. The prelate directly appealed to Pope Gregory XIII who, however, absolved the leaders of the Crema institution of any wrongdoing. Similar accusations were also directed at other Mount of Piety, leading the pope on 1 May 1581, to intervene, legitimizing the application of fair interest rates, intended to pay employee wages, preserve the patrimony, and cover foreclosure costs.
Contrada del Ghirlo Contrada of Ghirlo was the former name of Camillo Benso Street, Count of Cavour in the stretch between St. Francis Square (Madeo Square) and Goldsmith Street or the Ghetto Street or Stretta del Ghetto; the name still survived in 19th-century cartography but continued to the Contrada of St Marino at the south, at the current Aldo Moro Square. Goldsmith Street was a narrow street of narrow width that in the mid-19th century was widened and in 1873 was named after Alessandro Manzoni. Thus the Jewish community of Crema resided, roughly, in the block between Manzoni Street, Cavour Street, and Forte Street. As for the toponym Ghirlo, Zavaglio speculated that it ideally indicated a pivot on which something turns, such as the radiating of city streets from a center. More analytical was the study of Carlo Piastrella, who said it originated from girolus, gyrolus, ghirolus, derived from gyrus, a term that stood for a city wall.
17th century In the 17th century, the Mount of Piety of Crema became the owner of Saint Marino's church and small monastery. After the suppression of the order of the Humiliati in 1571, the estates were transformed into a simple benefice in which Monsignor Gerolamo dei Conti Pozzi e di Porciglia was invested. On his death he was succeeded by Monsignor Agostino Morosini who in 1621 ceded the former House of the Humiliati and the church to the Observants of Saint Augustine; the friars, in turn, resold the properties to the Mount of Piety of Crema in 1655.
In those pivotal years, Bishop Alberto Badoer championed the creation of a public high school to benefit eager young minds. The members of the Great Council agreed, but with a crucial stipulation: there would be no financial burden on the public body. Consequently, two schools of grammar and humanities were established, funded by the Mount of Piety of Crema, tasked also with covering the teachers' salaries. The former San Marino's House was chosen as the ideal location. Although the initial phase with lay teachers was uncertain, the expert regular clerics of St. Paul's, better known as Barnabites were invited to step in, and they committed themselves to teach with great success.
While the pope had allowed the Mount of Piety in 1581 to donate "surpluses" to charity at the discretion of the council, in 1644 Venetian inspectors made changes in the regulations ex officio, stipulating that the annual budget surpluses were to be donated exclusively to five pious places: the Capuchin nuns, the Convertite nuns, the Spinster Conservatory (Conservatorio delle Zitelle), the Beggars and the Hospital of the Exposed.
In the latter half of the 17th century, additional measures were enacted regarding the Mount; notably, in 1669, it was mandated that the institution contribute 40 ducats to support prisoners.
Yet another charge was imposed in 1679 for the purchase of a house owned by Camillo Zurla in order to make a more dignified prison out of the existing dormitories. The operation cost Mount 7 thousand liras and was almost a loss. As much as the institution was allowed to charge a fee of 4 lira a day for food for prisoners, very few could afford it. For nobles and landowners convicted of some crime, in fact, there were, as an alternative, the comfortable prisons in Porta Serio Castle.
In 1681, the Tertiary Mothers were added among the beneficiaries of donations, and in 1699 the General Hospital of Crema.
18th century Further obligations: in 1722, the Venetian Senate required the Monte to contribute to a fund intended for use in cases of health emergencies, which remained in place until 1790. However, in those early years of the century, there are records of payments for the embellishment of the cathedral and other religious works; the Municipality also received funds to repair damages to the territory caused by clashes between the Franco-Spanish forces and the Imperial forces of Eugene of Savoy. Although Venice was neutral, these conflicts also affected the Cremasque.
A loan of 5,000 ducats directed to the Republic of Venice in 1734 and a disbursement to the City of Crema to fix the roads in 1793 are documented.
Since taking on the expenses of the St Marino school had now become onerous church and convent of St Marino were donated to the Barnabite fathers in 1744, providing for an annual disbursement to the religious of 4,700 liras and with the clause that the complex would be returned if the religious abandoned Crema.
The Law of the Venetian Senate of 1767 introduced the new regulations to be applied to the Mount of Piety: the main novelty was the appointment of five individuals from among the most authoritative and accredited ones, with the name of Superintendents of the Pious Causes of this city with the task of controlling the running of the institution and the way the money was managed; the office lasted three years and the elected members were not re-eligible for the following three years. The same measure introduced the figure of a lawyer for legal and juridical dealings (1,200 liras of annual compensation); a full-time chancellor, appointed by the Great City Council upon payment of a deposit of 200 ducats and 900 liras of annual compensation; and finally, a guardian (famulo) with custodial duties and liaison among the various entities, who shared proportionally the compensation of 570 ducats annually. The podestà-captain Daniele Balbi appointed Luigi Benzoni, Marquis Benedetto Obizzi, Marquis Luigi Zurla, Faustino Griffoni of Sant'Angelo (co-supervisor), and Carlo Premoli (co-supervisor) as the first Office superintendents.