Olengo
Olengo: a village of history and tradition
Olengo is a geographical fraction of the municipality of Novara, located southeast of the city and on the edge of the former State Road 211 of Lomellina. The village has 490 inhabitants and is about 5 km away from the city center. Together with the district of Bicocca, it forms the "South-East District" and is one of the terminals of the urban line 1.
The history of Olengo is very ancient, and numerous Roman period artifacts are its testimony. In the Middle Ages, the village had an important castle owned by the Counts of Pombia, existing as early as 1025, as attested in an imperial donation of Conrad II the Salic to the Bishop Peter III of Novara. Olengo was an independent municipality until the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The etymology of the name
The name Olengo could derive from the onomastic Will-Wilhelm or from Villi(ngo), that is, a small village. But it could plausibly derive from the name of Mr. "Olego", a landowner in the area.
The toponymy of the Novara region still preserves traces of Lombard colonization with all the names ending in "engo", such as Orfengo, Ghislarengo, Fisrengo, Pisnengo...
The parish of Olengo
The parish of Olengo was always closely linked to the chapter of Santa Maria in the nearby city of Novara. The first parish priest (881 AD) was Protasio, sent by Bishop Ernusto.
Pope Innocent II's bull (June 26, 1133) confirms to the Bishop of Novara Litifredo the possessions of the Novara Church. Among the named parishes was that of Vespolate. The church-chapel of Olengo belongs to the vicariate of Vespolate by right, although the importance of Olengo was second only to the vicarial parish.
Olengo detached from the Vespolate parish forming an autonomous parish in the second half of the 1500s.
The parish church
The current parish church of Olengo was consecrated on March 27, 1855. The bishop of Novara was Monsignor Giacomo Filippo Gentile, who suffered so much from the reprisals carried out in the city by the Austrian troops in 1849.
In fact, the Novara people still had that sad historical memory (The Battle of Bicocca on March 23, 1849) that also involved the parish priest and parishioners of Olengo. With a generous donation from the bishop and a contribution from the municipality, in those years, the construction of the new parish house was also completed, just in time for the Austrian officers to make it their headquarters and observatory during the Battle of 1849.
The parish church of Olengo is an important example of neoclassical architecture, with a large central nave and several side chapels dedicated to the patron saints of the fraction. The building has recently been restored according to the canons of cultural heritage.
Conclusions
Olengo is a village rich in history and tradition, which deserves to be visited to admire the beauty of its parish church and Roman period artifacts. Its proximity to the center of Novara and the tranquility that characterizes it make it an ideal place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding territory.
