San Cesario sul Panaro
San Cesario sul Panaro: the history of the town from Emperor Lotario I to the Boschetti Counts
Hello everyone! Today I will talk about San Cesario sul Panaro, a municipality in the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna, where I lived for several years. With 6588 inhabitants, the town is about 16 kilometers east of Modena and about 34 kilometers from Bologna.
History
The history of San Cesario begins in 825, when Emperor Lotario I donated the vast "Vilzacara forest" to the Nonantola abbey. It was thanks to the Benedictine monks that the cultivation of the territory and the worship of Cesario of Terracina, who became the heavenly patron of the town, developed.
In 945, Marchese Berengario designated the sancesarese territory for cultivation and built a village with many buildings and a chapel in honor of San Cesario, who became the patron of the town. The presence of the Panaro River, always impetuous and dangerous, was decisive in the choice of the deacon as patron.
Pope Adrian III died near the current San Cesario sul Panaro, in the second half of 855, while traveling to Worms. His body is preserved in the Nonantola abbey.
In 1112, Countess Matilde di Canossa took the court and Vilzacara forest from the Nonantola monks and entrusted them to the local church dedicated to San Cesario. Subsequently, the church and the court were entrusted to the Benedictine monks of San Benedetto Po, who in turn ceded them to the San Pietro monastery in Modena.
In 1446, the Marquess of Ferrara Leonello d'Este elevated the town to the County of San Cesario, granting jurisdiction to Albertino III Boschetti and his descendants.
Monuments and places of interest
Villa Boschetti
One of the most important monuments in San Cesario is Villa Boschetti, the feudal palace of the Boschetti counts, built in the fifteenth century and transformed into a villa in the following century. Now owned by the municipality, it houses the San Cesario municipal library.
Parish church
The parish church of San Cesario was built on the remains of a pagan temple dedicated to Apollo and its construction dates back to the ninth century AD, although the ancient chapel is much earlier, dating back to the 5th or 7th century AD. The interior of the church is of basilica style, divided into three aisles marked by Roman columns surmounted by pre-Romanesque capitals.
Conclusions
And that's all about the history and monuments of San Cesario sul Panaro! I know it may seem like a small town, but it has a very interesting history and there are many monuments to visit. If you happen to be in this area, do not hesitate to stop in San Cesario sul Panaro and discover its past!
