Santa Maria Maddalena
Santa Maria Maddalena: a hamlet of Occhiobello
Santa Maria Maddalena is a magnificent geographical hamlet of the municipality of Occhiobello, located in the province of Rovigo, Italy. This hamlet extends for about 8 km on the left bank of the Po River.
With a population of 6,966 inhabitants according to the latest census of 2001, it is the largest inhabited center of the municipal territory. The settlement developed along the Regional Road 6 Eridania Occidentale and the State Road 16 Adriatica and has had a considerable population growth in the last decade following an urbanization.
The history of Santa Maria Maddalena
The history of Santa Maria Maddalena can be traced back to remote years. The first indication of the toponym is found in the privilege given to the people of Ferrara by Emperor Henry II in the year 1050, the so-called "Actum ad Pontem". The "Statuta Ferrarie" of the year 1287 more specifically speaks about the locality.
The church of Santa Maria Maddalena is present in the administrative books of the Decime, in the year 1300, with its rector Fra Agnello who declares, under oath, to possess nothing. During history, there was a period when the rector was unable to maintain the income. The nobleman from Ferrara Uguccione dei Contrari had built the church and was its patron.
Mons. Francesco dal Legname, bishop of the archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio, celebrates the pastoral visit on April 18, 1449, finding 140 inhabitants. The church's income was only 8 marchesini, which shows a certain poverty. In the pastoral visit of Mons. G. Maremoti (1574) the first news can be found about the parish of Santa Maria and the church of San Giovanni, called the hospice of the homonymous brotherhood, located in Ferrara, and which in the pious place must maintain hospitality and assistance to the poor.
Santa Maria Maddalena today
Today, Santa Maria Maddalena is a very popular hamlet. Mons. Giovanni Fontana (1592) found the church oriented to the East, with a main hall and a side nave, two altars, a baptistery, a cemetery all around, a recently built bell tower, 200 inhabitants in communion, acquired patronage of Pepoli, following testamentary successions from the Contrari family. Now, the hamlet has many residents and commercial activities.
North of the settlement, in the construction phase, there is a 2.360 km ring road that increases the transport capacity of the area and facilitates access to the hamlet. Although the historical landmarks of the hamlet are still present, the town is evolving and has become more modern and developed.
Conclusions
In summary, Santa Maria Maddalena is a hamlet on the left bank of the Po River, with an interesting history and an abundance of attractions. Despite its rich history, the hamlet has developed into a modern community where commercial activities thrive and people gather to socialize and have fun together. With the new ring road, Santa Maria Maddalena offers access to an area of great tourist interest. If you are visiting northern Italy, Santa Maria Maddalena deserves to be visited and discovered.
