Sarezzano (
Western Lombard
Western Lombard is a group of dialects of Lombard, a Romance language spoken in Italy. It is widespread in the Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, a small part of Cremona (except Crema and its neighbours), ...
: ''Sarsòu'') is a ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...
in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
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, located about east of
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...
and about east of
Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,171 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute ]Istat
The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( it, Istituto nazionale di statistica; Istat) is the main producer of official statistics in Italy. Its activities include the census of population, economic censuses and a number of social, economic ...
.
The municipality of Sarezzano contains the ''
frazioni
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) 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 consolidate territ ...
'' (subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Baracca, Cucco, Palazzina, Rocca Grue, San Ruffino, and Sant'Innocenzo.
Sarezzano borders the following municipalities:
Berzano di Tortona,
Cerreto Grue
Cerreto Grue is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 346 and an area of .All dem ...
,
Monleale,
Montegioco
Montegioco is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 315 and an area of .All demog ...
,
Tortona
Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.
Histo ...
,
Viguzzolo, and
Villaromagnano.
History
Various finds have been unearthed in the municipal area, testifying to settlements from Roman times. The place was chosen as a hermitage by the monks Ruffino and Venanzio, who were buried there. Their remains, originally kept in the Parish Church of St. Michael, were later moved to the castle church. In the Middle Ages, the town belonged to the lordship of the
bishops of Tortona and was therefore linked to the
Guelph party
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, riv ...
. From the XV century to the end of the XVIII century it was a feud of the Guidobono Cavalchini family, after which, together with the whole Tortona area, it passed to the
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
. In 1855, the former castle church (which had been seriously damaged by lightning in 1610 and then rebuilt) was elevated to the status of parish church. It was then replaced in the 1950s by a new building, at the foot of the hill where the castle stood, dedicated to Saints Ruffino and Venanzio. The church was found in the church in 1585.
In 1585, the
Codex Purpureus was found in the village church, next to the remains of Saints Ruffino and Venanzio. It is an early medieval codex of fine workmanship consisting of 72 sheets with the text of the four gospels. Written in the 5th or 6th century on reddish
parchment
Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins o ...
, it is contained in a wooden case and was found again after being lost in 1872.
Demographic evolution
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References
Cities and towns in Piedmont
{{Alessandria-geo-stub