The town of Altomonte stands on a promontory overlooking the wide Esaro River valley, at an altitude of around 455 metres above sea level, between the Sibari plain and the imposing Sila mountain range. The current urban layout follows the organisation of the defensive structures built in the Middle Ages, including the remains of walls and tower houses, but the town has older origins. Archaeological findings dating back to the 1st century AD suggest that there was a settlement here in Roman times. The town most likely corresponded to the Balbia extolled by Pliny the Elder for its fine wine, known as Balbino.1.
However, the first real documentary sources date back only to Norman times. During the Altavilla family’s conquest of Calabria, the historical texts referred to Altomonte as Brahalla, a name possibly of Arabic origin. The Normans established the settlement that exists today. They built the feudal castle and the significant church of Santa Maria dei Franchi in 1052.
Filippo Sangineto
Altomonte became a Swabian possession under Frederick II, before passing to the Angevins in 1266 when Charles I defeated Manfred of Sicily. In 1309, Robert of Anjou ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Naples, having been Duke of Calabria since 1296. This event also had direct repercussions for the small town of Altomonte. Among the nobles loyal to the sovereign was Filippo Sangineto, the third son of Ruggero, lord of Belvedere and Sangineto. Filippo fought alongside Robert of Anjou as a captain in the expedition against the Aragonese in Sicily, for which he was rewarded with the fief of Altomonte. In a deed dated August 8, 1319, now preserved in the Vatican registers, he is called “nobilis vir Philippus de Sangineto, Brahallae et Bollitae dominus“2.
Not only was Filippo Sangineto a valiant man-at-arms for Robert of Anjou, he also served as a high official in the royal court. From 1330 to 1331, he was sent to Provence and Forcalquier as seneschal3. This gave him the opportunity to experience the vibrant artistic movements from beyond the Alps first-hand. So, he developed a desire to bring some of that austere and elegant style, the Gothic, to Calabria.
Filippo transformed the town of Altomonte into one of the most vibrant cultural centres in Calabria. He expanded the town and invited artists from all over Italy. In 1336, he changed the village’s name from Brahalla to Altofiume, and in 1343, at the behest of Queen Giovanna, he changed it again, this time to its present name. Lastly, he ordered the renovation of the Church of Santa Maria dei Franchi. His intention was to build an even more impressive structure that could serve as a mausoleum for the Sangineto family.
The town of Altomonte and Santa Maria della Consolazione
The fulcrum of the town thus became the nascent church of Santa Maria della Consolazione. Respecting the dictates of Gothic-Angevin architecture, the building was under construction by 1336, as evidenced by a Filippo Sangineto in Provence. In that year the nobleman bequeaths funds for its completions4. Following his death between 1348 and 1349, the lord of Altomonte was buried inside the church as he had wished, in a tomb created by a pupil of Tino di Camaino.
A slender, recently built staircase leads to the entrance of the church. The building is located in a dominant position on the town square. The façade appears solid and austere, in keeping with the Cistercian style of mendicant architecture. The lower level features a splayed portal with a Gothic pointed arch and phytomorphic friezes. A majestic rose window composed of sixteen small columns with capitals surmounts it. Construction of the building most likely began in France and was completed by local workers. In two side niches of the façade, there were formerly some statues. They are now on display at the Altomonte Civic Museum.
In the centre of the façade, between the rose window and the portal, is the stone coat of arms of Filippo Sangineto, the church’s patron. To the right of the elevation stands the massive bell tower, originally crenellated. This makes the elevation asymmetrical and features a mullioned window.
Interior of the building
Santa Maria della Consolazione’s interior is shrouded in the peace and mystery typical of Gothic-Cistercian architecture. The building has a Latin cross plan with a single nave and two side chapels near the transept. One of these is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and features a Baroque wooden altar and gilded stucco. It was commissioned by the Princes of Bisignano. The other leads to the sacristy. The hall has a truss roof which conveys a sense of austerity, ending in a ribbed chancel. The high altar is made of polychrome marble.
The sepulchre of Filippo Sangineto, considered one of the most significant 14th-century sculptures in Calabria, is located on the apse wall, next to a large lancet window. Instead, the funerary monument of the unknown knight is a mystery. Despite careful archaeological and historiographical research, no scholar has yet been able to identify who is buried there.
In any case, the knight’s armour and the French-influenced sculptural style suggest that the tomb dates from the first half of the 14th century5. It is possible that another wealthy member of the Sangineto family rests in this tomb.
A treasure chest of art in the town of Altomonte
The church of Santa Maria della Consolazione arose according to innovative Gothic styles of French import, breaking with the earlier Norman tradition. Filippo Sangineto, with the assent of the King of Naples Robert of Anjou, wanted to give the town of Altomonte a great monument that could be an expression of a new dynasty and preserve its memory for centuries. To this end, he commissioned renowned artists to create the friezes and frescoes. These included Simone Martini from Tuscany, who painted a Saint Ladislaus on a tablet, now in the Civic Museum, and Bernardo Daddi.
Of fine workmanship is also the sepulchral monument of the Sangineto family. Commissioned by the patron Filippo, it is near the apse wall. Only the internal structure of it remains, but it was certainly once adorned with a canopy. Sculptural personifications of the three Theological Virtues support the sarcophagus, on which the lying figure of Filippo Sangineto rests. Still higher up stands a group of statues including Saints Nicholas and Baptist, and the Madonna and Child.
Samuele Corrente Naso
Notes
- Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia. ↩︎
- F. Russo, Regesto vaticano per la Calabria, Roma 1974-1995. ↩︎
- L. De Franco, Una pagina di vita medievale: i due testamenti di Filippo di Sangineto, signore di Altomonte, in Calabria nobilissima, XLII-XLIII, 1990-1991. ↩︎
- Ibidem. ↩︎
- M. P. Di Dario Guida, Il Museo di S. Maria della Consolazione ad Altomonte, Cosenza, 1980. ↩︎
