Santo Stefano Tower () is a medieval tower located in
Ivrea
Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...
, Italy.
History
Santo Stefano Tower is a Romanesque bell tower, the only surviving part of the lost abbey complex of Santo Stefano, founded by Benedictine monks from
Fruttuaria Abbey in 1041 at the behest of Bishop Henry II. The abbey was likely established to address the need to reclaim the marshy left bank of the
Dora Baltea
The Dora Baltea () or Doire Baltée () is a river in the Aosta Valley and in Piedmont, in northwestern Italy. It is a left-hand tributary of the Po and is about long.
Name
The river's Latin name was ''Duria maior'', ''Duria Baltica'' or ''Duri ...
river and to ensure surveillance at this strategic point of the city by creating a solid defensive structure with its sturdy walls. The Benedictine monks built the abbey's structures on the site of an ancient chapel dedicated to Saint Stephen, possibly dating back to the 5th century, using bricks and repurposed materials of probable Roman origin.
Gallery
File:Ivrea, Torre e Lungo Dora (xilografia).jpg
File:Linux Day Ivrea 2021 - visione d'insieme da Piazza Rondolino direzione Ovest naviglio.jpg
File:Ivrea-campanile abbazia santo stefano.jpg
References
External links
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Towers in Italy
Buildings and structures in Ivrea