Santo Stefano In Vairano
Welcome to Santo Stefano in Vairano: a small hamlet with a great history
Hello friends, today I will talk to you about Santo Stefano in Vairano, a hamlet in the municipality of Crema in the province of Cremona with 777 inhabitants. This small locality is located north of the municipal capital and is composed of several courtyarded farmhouses and country houses grouped in an uneven way. The parish church, dedicated to Santo Stefano protomartyr, from which the hamlet takes its name, is located near a group of houses.
But let's talk about the history of Santo Stefano in Vairano.
Its ancient history
The locality seems to be mentioned for the first time in a notarial document dated April 25, 924. This document mentions a "large palace of Vairano" with its dependents. This indication seems to refer to the toponyms "Castèl" or "Castelèt" (now via Quartiere). Here there were perhaps ancient moats of a fortified place, such as "Senna" or "Sena" "dalle Valdroghe" and "Senna Bovina" or "Buina", which means "rural area". In the area there also seems to have been a mill in ancient times.
In 1361, a document on the maintenance of roads, bridges, and streets in the area mentions Santo Stefano in Vairano among the villages of the county of Crema under the responsibility of the "consul of the Porta di Pianengo commune."
The church of Santo Stefano
In 1385, the church of Santo Stefano in Vairano was subject to the parish of Fornovo San Giovanni, belonging to the diocese of Cremona. In the fifteenth century, the church passed to some Franciscan tertiary order, coming from Piazzano (Rubbiano (Credera Rubbiano)), who founded a small convent there.
The church is reported in the documents as "Santa Maria" or "San Bernardo", of which the former is probably the oldest denomination. The worship was ensured by the clergy of the church of Santa Maria di Crema (cathedral), which belonged to the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, and the situation of the church, divided between two dioceses, remained uncertain for a long time, despite the establishment in 1580 of the new diocese of Crema.
In 1685, Santo Stefano in Vairano is again mentioned as dependent on the city of Crema (at the time belonging to the Republic of Venice), inserted in the administrative subdivision of Porta Nuova.
From 1805 to the Unification of Italy
During the occupation of Napoleon I, in 1805, the municipality of Santo Stefano and Vairano was established, with 511 inhabitants. The municipality was classified as "third-class" and belonged to canton I of Crema, in district II of Crema, in the department of Alto Po, and in 1807 became part of the "denominative municipality" of Crema.
With the establishment of the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, the municipality of Santo Stefano and Vairano was part of district IX of Crema in the province of Lodi and Crema. In 1844, Santo Stefano and Vairano were "municipality with summoned" and in 1853, with 716 inhabitants, it passed to district V of Crema.
With the annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1859, the municipality of Vairano (707 inhabitants) was included in district I of Crema, Crema district, Cremona province, and in the census of 1861, after the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy, it had a resident population of 775 inhabitants and 852 in the subsequent census of 1871. In 1862, it assumed the official name of "Vairano Cremasco" (to distinguish it from other homonymous localities) and was abolished in 1875, and the territory was divided between the municipalities of Crema and Santa Maria della Croce.
Conclusions
As you can see, Santo Stefano in Vairano has an ancient and interesting history. From the toponym Castèl to the mill, passing through the church of Santo Stefano, this small hamlet has crossed the centuries with its charm and history. Today, it is a peaceful and pleasant locality with numerous courtyarded farmhouses and country houses that deserve to be visited for the nature and enchanting views they offer. Thank you for reading!
