Lierna Castle
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Lierna Castle () is a
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
on the eastern side of
Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...
in
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, Italy. The castle is built on a peninsula that protrudes into the lake and consists of a group of connected buildings, rather than a single building. The main portion of the current buildings was constructed in the 10th century in
Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
upon former Roman ruins. The castle includes the 11th-century church of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (''Chiesa dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro''), associated with the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...
. The castle is occupied by the people of the ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...
'' of Castello in the ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' of
Lierna Lierna is a ''comune'' in the province of Lecco in Lombardy, in north-west Italy. It lies on the eastern shore of Lake Como, about north of Milan and about north-west of Lecco. Lierna borders the comuni of Esino Lario, Mandello del Lari ...
. It is the northwesternmost of the eleven ''frazioni'' of Lierna ''comune''.


History

The last military use of the castle was in the mid-16th century by
Gian Giacomo Medici Gian Giacomo Medici or Jacopo de' Medici (25 January 1498 – 8 November 1555) was an Italian condottiero who became a Spanish general, Duke of Marignano and Marquess of Musso and Lecco in Lombardy. Gian Giacomo Medici was the brother of Giova ...
, known as "Medeghino" (the "small Medici"), who was primarily a mercenary. from the ''Storia di Lierna'' by Aurelio Goretti and Franca Panizza.


References


Further reading

* Franca Panizza, ''Il Castello di Lierna'', Ed. Cattaneo Paolo Grafiche, Oggiono, 2003 {{Authority control Castles in Lombardy Tourism in Italy Buildings and structures in the Province of Lecco Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus