Tag: comacine masters
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The Mother goddesses of Capua
In Petrara locality, among the countryside of Curti, an ancient tufa podium was found [1]. There, within an area owned by the Patturelli family, the remains of a complex cult building and dozens of carved mothers, the so-called Matres Matutae (Mother Goddesses) of ancient Capua, were discovered. The site was located not far from the […]
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The Sanctuary of Oropa, nigra sum sed formosa
A well-established folk tradition, widespread among the valleys of Biella in Piedmont, states that St. Eusebius brought the Black Madonna to the Sanctuary of Oropa. Eusebius, the first bishop of Vercelli since 345, was a fervent opponent of the Arianism. When he refused to subscribe the edicts of the Council of Milan (355), which affirmed […]
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Segusium and the ancient Roman remains of Susa
Cottius, wise and far-sighted Cottius, king of the Cottians. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C., and Rome plunged into a bloody civil war, some of the Gallic tribes settled in Northern Italy took the opportunity to rebel. The Salassians on several occasions barricaded themselves in the Alpine passes, in the hope of getting free […]
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Augusta Praetoria, the Roman Aosta
Augusta Praetoria Salassorum was the name of the colony that Emperor Augustus had placed to guard the Alpine transit routes, and which we know today as the Roman Aosta. There, in fact, the consular road from Milan (Mediolanum) to Gaul ran along two main road axes: one towards Lyons (Lugdunum) by way of the Little […]
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Hadrian, the sensibility of an emperor
The Historia Augusta, a 4th century source by an unknown author, transcribes the words of the Emperor Hadrian facing death: “Animula vagula blandula, hospes comesque corporis Quae nunc abibis in loca Pallidula rigida nudula Nec ut soles dabis iocos” (Historia Augusta, Adriano) “Little soul, gentle and drifting, guest and companion of my body, now you […]
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Valvisciolo Abbey in Sermoneta, a Templar site
On the slopes of Monte Corvino, where the Lepini Mountains look towards the Agro Pontino, there is an abbey distinguished by beauty and simplicity. Valvisciolo Abbey seems to exist in this place since eternity, but its origins are uncertain and lost in time. The forgotten origins of Valvisciolo Lubin, the most ancient and important historian […]
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The lost tiles of Pieve Terzagni, San Giovanni Decollato
A soft fog was reflecting the lights back towards the deserted road, like dancing figures and projections of shadows. Suddenly, a small flocks of migrating birds passed over the car, disturbing the quiet air of the plain. Here, along the Po valley, is cold and the humidity raises quickly. After a wide curve in the […]
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The church of Saint Peter in Gemonio
According to the popular tradition, the little church of Saint Peter in Gemonio was founded by the Lombard queen Theodelinda. Additionally, it would have been entrusted to the monks of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro in Pavia by the king Liutprand. However, there are no historical sources that might confirm this thesis. Anyway, the church […]
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Hieroglyphs and sacred symbols in Ancient Egypt
When Jean François Champollion succeeded in deciphering hieroglyphs for the first time in 1822, thanks to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, he had to overcome considerable difficulties of interpretation. The writing of the Ancient Egyptians shows a very different conception of the world from that of modern man. First of all, he had to […]