Cortemilia
Parish church of Santa Maria
In the center of the Alta Langa, Cortemilia preserves extremely significant evidence of its medieval past, most notably its cylindrical watchtower. Not far away, the thousand-year-old parish church of Santa Maria features an external apse richly carved with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs, embodying an example of refined 13th-century culture of international renown. Among the pictorial relics, the 14th-century frescoes of the San Francesco complex offer a notable example of the French-influenced Gothic art that was widespread in the Cuneo area at the time.
In the heart of the Alta Langa, at the confluence of the Bormida River and the Uzzone creek, stands an imposing cylindrical watchtower dating back to the early 13th century, an integral part of the defensive structure of the Cortemilia fiefdom. What remains today is only a fraction of what must once have been one of the most complex and extensive castles in the region: the archaeological remains include sections of the city walls, the gate with its drawbridge, fragments of the 14th-century palace, and a horseshoe-shaped tower, all evidence of various expansions that took place between the late 12th and the first half of the 13th centuries.
Cortemilia was one of the courts in the territory between the Tanaro and Orba rivers, and the sea, granted by Emperor Otto I to Aleramo in 967. As early as 991, some lands in its territory were donated for the foundation of the Benedictine Abbey of Spigno Monferrato. It was the seat of a marquisate under Boniface the Younger and was mentioned as a “castrum” in 1209. Subsequently, Cortemilia passed briefly under the control of the Marquises of Saluzzo and then of the del Carretto family until 1347, when it became a fiefdom of the Scarampi family, along with Perletto and Torre Uzzone. After being under the control of the Marquises of Monferrato, it was definitively annexed to the House of Savoy in 1615.
During the medieval and modern periods, Cortemilia played a crucial role in trade with the Riviera and Western Liguria, as well as with Piedmont. Between 1191 and 1313, the city was even home to a marquis mint, and its citizens obtained numerous concessions along what is still remembered in local historiography as the “Road of Ottone del Carretto.”
Parish church of Santa Maria
On the other side of the Uzzone creek, the parish church of Santa Maria, mentioned since 998, served as a parish church until the settlement moved from the other bank of the Uzzone (which here flows into the Bormida and served as a watershed between the dioceses of Alba and Acqui Terme) to the churches of San Michele (which has been under the jurisdiction of the Benedictine monastery of Spigno since the 12th century) and San Pantaleo (documented since the 16th century). One of the seven hamlets, Cheronzio, arose around the parish church, but was destroyed in the mid-14th century. From this point on, the religious site began to slowly be abandoned, and it was also converted into a farm in the 18th century.
Located at a geographical crossroads, the parish church has belonged to the diocese of Alba since 1226 and appears to have been the head of a large parish district. The Romanesque bell tower, with a square plan, punctuated by rows of small arches and surmounted by rows of triple lancet windows, is immediately apparent from its complex and still unresolved construction history. It dates back to between the second half of the 11th century and the beginning of the following century. The external apse, built with curvilinear blocks of rectangular stone, is culturally distinct. It features a simple frame and a “dentate” frieze running above the small arches, which are supported by a series of motifs with solid designs and shapes. Although eroded, these motifs reveal anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and phytomorphic elements in the small triangular brackets supporting the corbels. The sculptural apparatus of the external apse, dated between 1230 and 1260, can be imagined to be even more complex, given the presence of a surviving two-tailed siren in the space between the suspended arches.
The church has a single nave, divided into four bays, currently plastered, with the original roof retained only in the apse. During some restoration work in 1942, unfortunately accompanied by the destruction of a three-arched entrance porch, a sculptural artifact of considerable interest was discovered: a small triptych made of local sandstone. This artifact, likely part of the ciborium above the altar, features a Blessing hand on its triangular front and iconography linked to Marian worship. The Madonna enthroned with Child is surrounded by two haloed figures, one of which may be Saint John the Baptist, while on either side are two hooded monks dressed in robes holding similar staffs. Decorative plant elements and astral symbols, such as swastikas and ten- or twelve-pointed stars, adorn the surface of the triptych. Its construction, characterised by a highly stylised and partly enigmatic style, can presumably be dated to the first half of the 13th century, during one of the phases of transformation of the parish church, with the intervention of workers not originally from the Cuneo area.
Former church and convent of San Francesco
On the opposite bank of the Bormida River, facing Monte Oliveto, stands the imposing complex of San Francesco. Its construction is linked to the rule of the Del Carretto family and became the political and religious center of reference (among other things, according to sources, Manfredo IV, Marquis of Saluzzo, lord of Cortemilia, was also buried here).
Historiographical and local tradition attributes the founding of the church and convent of the Friars Minor to the passage and preaching of Saint Francis of Assisi, who visited this site during his journey to France. This custom, however, is not confirmed by documents, but is also linked to the work of the Franciscan friar Blessed Guglielmo Ribone, who was born in Cortemilia.
Although the current dimensions reflect various phases of renovation, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the majestic façade with a pronaos, the raised presbytery retains surprising traces of the original 14th-century pictorial decoration. At the beginning of the left side wall is a precious example of French-influenced linear Gothic painting, which was spreading in the Cuneo area (Alba, Savigliano, and also Mondovì) in the first half of the fourteenth century. This decorative band features several saints against a blue background, each with a halo, whose stucco work is visible, engraved with a plant motif. Among the recognizable subjects are a venerable figure with many gaps, a Warrior Saint (perhaps Saint Maurice), and two Bishop figures, one of whom appears to be entirely dressed in a tiara and crozier. The band is bordered by a red and white frame, next to which are a suggestive remnant of a desert setting and the paws of a ferocious animal. Traces of a velarium and part of an inscription, handed down with a partially legible date (1328 or 1338), complete the picture. The creation of these works, which also include the vault and ribs with colorful plant motifs and geometric festoons, represents a notable example of Gothic art of the period, adding value to the historical and artistic heritage of the Cuneo region.
The cultural context
The historic center of Cortemilia preserves precious testimonies of late medieval and early modern art and architecture. Among these, two bas-reliefs depicting Saint Bernardino of Siena and an Annunciation, both dating to the 15th century, and the evocative Palazzo della Pretura stand out. Opposite the latter stands Casa Molinari, a late Gothic building, which preserves a frescoed lunette of the Madonna and Child over the entrance door. Despite the neo-Gothic modifications made in the last century, the painting reveals exceptional mastery, distinguishing it from the works of local workshops operating at the time. This is evident in the detailed rendering of the Virgin’s hair, her anatomical refinement, and the remnants of the vibrant colors of her cloak. Below the lunette, the beam bears the date 1480, the name of the patron (a certain Lanzarotus with his wife), and a sculptural depiction of the Annunciation, legible despite the partial erosion of the stone.