Montecenere Tower, imposing symbol of a distant past.
The Montecuccoli fortress is an imposing, rectangular-shaped tower measuring 8 metres by 7 metres, with remarkably thick, ‘filaretto’ stone walls.
The base is slightly wider than the upper part of the tower, and is revetted with stone blocks which gradually taper in to the walls.
The ground floor was not originally accessible from the outside, and a spine wall divided it into two vaulted rooms.
The original portal was considerably high off the ground, in line with a defensive tactic commonly used by the Byzantines, and adopted in all medieval towers in the area.
The tower has two very narrow doorways, one on the east side, and the other on the west side. It is thought that the doorway on the west side served as the access doorway, due to the meticulous, solid workmanship evident in the surrounding wall, and the fact that it is level with the inner wall of the room, a layout found in other towers in central Frignano.
The portal on the opposite side may have given access to a wooden gallery or drawbridge connecting it with the rest of the manor house, which no longer exists. Above the portal there is an embrasure, and, further up, almost in a direct line above the doorway, there can be seen a single-lancet, double-splayed window, which is quite rare in a tower.
On the south wall of the tower there is a larger window, which was probably added during the Renaissance period. Scaffolding holes are also clearly visible on this side, towards the base of the tower.
The tower acted as the castle keep, i.e. it was the main tower, which was the tallest and the strongest, and which stood at the highest point, generally remaining separate from later building additions made to the castle (the manor house and walls). A partially underground cistern is located not far from the south-eastern corner.
Completely restored in 1998, the Montecuccoli Tower is without doubt the most important architectural and historical landmark within the municipality of Lama Mocogno.
Historical Outline
The Montecuccoli Tower in Montecenere is thought to have been built around the 12th to 13th centuries, but there are no official documents attesting to its precise construction date. Historical events which took place in the area of Frignano during this period have allowed it to be dated to around 1180, which was a time of great expansion for the Da Montecuccolo family.
Historically speaking, therefore, the construction of the tower is part of a very special period for the area of Frignano, marked by an increase in both military and religious importance. In a document dated to 998, the district of ‘Castrum Feronianum’ is defined as a jurisdictional, civil and military district corresponding to the whole of the area of Frignano; and it is in this document that the small village of Montecenere is mentioned for the first time.
With the beginning of the second millennium, the area of Frignano left behind its state of late medieval immobility, and entered into a period of great economic improvement, accompanied by massive demographic movement towards the Scoltenna Valley, which was undoubtedly more fertile and enjoyed a better climate.
New economic and social hubs thus developed, the parish churches of Verica and Coscogno were built, and the rights and privileges of the ancient “Pieve di Paule” near Pavullo (the main parish church of the area) were transferred to Renno, which in turn became a parish church.
With the establishment of this new parish church, the building of a strategic defence system was a natural development, and the Montecuccolo defence system, of which Montecenere Tower was a part, thus came into being. A document from 1157 refers to Montecuccolo Castle as both a castle and parish, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that there were political motives behind the transfer of the parish church from Paule to Renno, linked to the new importance of the Da Montecuccolo family, who resided in the castle.
This explains the castle’s rise in political, economic and military importance, which led to it undergoing several architectural transformations during the 12th and 13th centuries. It was during this time that a second and third circle of walls were built, along with the castle’s crenellated tower, as well as the Montecuccoli Tower itself.
It was also during this period that the Montecuccolo court became a communal federation, and it is no coincidence that, a few years later, the Da Montecuccolo family received the investiture of their fiefdom directly from the Emperor, giving the family and the entire Frignano area considerable autonomy from the Lords of Modena.
It was in this context of economic and political expansion for the Da Montecuccolo family that the Montecuccoli Tower of Montecenere was built. It had two functions: as a watchtower, part of the defensive system of Montecuccolo, and also as an armed garrison for the maintenance of public order within the three small municipalities of Montecenere, Montescarpone and Varola.
In 1363, after years of struggle and rebellion, even the noble Da Montecuccolo family finally had to submit to the Este marquises. In the 15th century, after years of internal fighting, the family consolidated their power in the area of Frignano, establishing the Province of Frignano, with Sestola pronounced as capital. The Da Montecuccolo family thus lost their ducal investiture, and became sub-vassals of the Estensi.
The Church of Montecenere was built in 1571, and other buildings were later built next to it, to accommodate the sacristy. The bell tower originally dates to 1604, as can still be read on the inside of the door, and was heightened in 1794. It was not until 1934 that the current concrete structure was erected.
In 1765, the Community of Montecenere was granted permission to hold a weekly market and two annual fairs, one to be held on 1st August, and the other in November.
Over the years, new roads which were built in the area, along with improvements made to older roads, effectively strengthened the economic and political power of the Da Montecuccolo Fiefdom, leading to the extension of Communities such as Montecenere even further along these new roads.
Montecenere remained a fief of the Da Montecuccolo until around 1790, when, with the arrival of Napoleon, all small feudal lords were stripped of their privileges and titles.
Would you like to take a virtual tour of the Tower?
Click on this link and you will be able to go inside Montecenere Tower from your screen and admire its beauty!
Bibliography
The Montecuccolo Fortress – edited by Dr. Maria Cristina Pagliai – Baldini Printing House 1998
Lama Mocogno: Territory and Cultural Heritage – il Bulino 1982
Montecenere A Community in the Shadow of the Montecuccoli by Andrea Pini – Iaccheri Editors – 2001
Architectural notes
The Fortress stands on the highest point of a mountain spur that juts out from the ridge towards the Scoltenna valley below. Originally, the fortification probably consisted of a wooden tower surrounded by fencing.
The stone tower was erected in the 12th or 13th century and features typical elements of military architecture and the “filaretto” masonry technique common to that period. Its wide rectangular base and thick walls are an indication that it was probably once much taller in height. Over the years it has suffered such considerable damage – even partially collapsing in 1959 – that even recent renovation work has not brought it back to its full beauty and magnificence.
The writer Sercambi referred to Montecenere with the generic term of fortress, probably intending the tower itself, which, from time immemorial, made Montecenere a cornerstone for the dominion of central Frignano. Together with the fortresses of Renno and Montecuccolo, it was indeed one of the military strongholds of the area, the oldest part of the Da Montecuccolo fiefdom.
Bibliography
Lama Mocogno: Territory and Cultural Heritage – il Bulino 1982
Montecenere A Community in the Shadow of the Montecuccoli by Andrea Pini – Iaccheri Editors – 2001
Text from the website www.montecenere.it