Cendon
Cendon: the story of its origin
Cendon is a hamlet in the municipality of Silea, located in the province of Treviso. However, its origin is still a matter of debate. The ancient toponym was "Zendono," which some have linked to "gift to Zeno," referring to a donation to the Abbey of San Zeno in Verona. However, today it is commonly pronounced as "Sendon." This has led to speculation about a Gallic origin, as it appears to be a compound of "seno" ("old") and "dunon" ("enclosure"), indicating a fortified village. The presence of the Gauls, who arrived in the area of the ancient Veneti from the 4th century BC onwards, does not seem to have been particularly strong in this area. If the Celtic hypothesis were to be confirmed, two explanations could be put forward: either Cendon represented a small settlement of Gauls, or the language of the latter was acquired by the Veneti following numerous contacts.
First mentioned in 1178, it had a "rural community."
Monuments and points of interest
Cendon is renowned for its monuments and points of interest. The parish church, with very ancient origins, has seventeenth-century features but has been restored several times. The last consecration was in 1859. The bells of the bell tower come from the Church of the Pietà in Venice.
However, it is not just the church that attracts attention in Cendon. The countryside is characterized by the dense presence of Venetian villas. Among these, Villa Barbaro, formerly known as "Ca' Vecchia," stands out, first mentioned on a late seventeenth-century map. The building is located in an area that is still remarkable from a landscape point of view, with the park overlooking the Sile River and facing the Casier river port. The central body is very compact. Above the original two floors, a central volume with a tympanum has been added, on which the Barbaro coat of arms is placed. The stone balcony on the second floor stands out on the southwest façade.
There are other villas worth seeing in Cendon, such as Villa Memmo, built at the end of the seventeenth century, which was originally a magnificent building of which only the north wing and the oratory of San Pietro remain. Villa Fanio, from the eighteenth century, retains the enclosing wall that surrounded the orchard garden. Villa Colotti, from the eighteenth century, was extensively remodeled in the nineteenth century. Villa Pisani, from the end of the seventeenth century, is known for the oratory of Sant'Antonio, which housed some sick people during an epidemic in 1866. Today, only the barchessa remains. Villa Maderni, from the end of the seventeenth century, has become a condominium. Finally, Villa Valier, dating back to the second half of the sixteenth century, overlooks the Sile River.
Conclusions
Cendon is a hamlet that boasts important monuments and points of interest, which testify to the ancient history of this area. There are many explanations about its origin and thus many explorations to be made. History, art, and architecture enthusiasts will have the opportunity to discover a lot.
