RELIGION AND FOLKLORE IN COLLEDIMACINE:
by Ugo Falcone
Translated by Anthony Falcone

NOTE: There are numerous typographical and translational errors in this version.  This is a work in progress.

" Poiche living does not offer large compo to speak to us about they, we speak, or readers, de died that, piu operosi of we, studies left wide traces de they, and clear of every human passionne, stan queti, and not sdegano de our judgments. And we will make carita work de for they, and de utilita for we; perocche many of those defunct ones ingiustamenta are dementicati, while much right has to the admiration and the gratefulness ours. "
D.Domenico Mascetta ***-****-poet   Patriot of the Rennaisance/Revolution
Now one that we have the *** to save from the ***** and remember to the youthful study and certainly Domenico Mascetta educator, ***, poet and martyr, of him many, from his numerous ***discepolie (that are today a great part of the generation seeming gentle, the man from the sweet mannerism, ****** open and ****, from an air candidly *****, that inspired sympathy, he was made loving when they came near.
Nature elected him, all ***** of humility, ***** and ***, one of those men ****



From "PROFILI ABRUZZESI" Memor
`Don Domenico Mascetta, canonical of the Cathedral of Chieti, with canonical don Goffredo Sigismondi di Bomba, don Serafino Grossi di Fara S. Martino, and with the poet Giavanicenzo Pellicciotti di Gessopalena, in the years that precede 1848, made part of the ccenacolo teatino, in which, they discussed the political ideas of the time, allimentarono ideal of liberty, and, consequently, prepare the land for the events of 1860 and for the festive entrance of Vittorio Emanuele II to Chieti in October of that year.
Don Domenico Mascetta was born in Colledimacine, in the Chietino, on 17 June 1816 from an ancient family that boasted relationships with the Caracci of Bologna, and was educated, first by his uncle, the Archpriest Mascetta, who was the poest gagliardo and brilliant, author of dialectal verses still popularly remembered today in Abruzzi, and then in the Seminary teatin; and, *** ordered sacui, in the same Seminary, had been person in charge, later on, for the instruction of advanced Grammar.
Those who knew him report that he had an ingenious *****poderoso, lively imagination, harmonic voice and was fascinating, that he was an **** aitante and imposing person, ****ricercatrice of more intimate **** latebre of the heart, measured gesture and the compound, way that to ****all'apparire on the pulpit, endured were conquered *****l'affetto and the attention of the always numerous and always chosen public.  From the nature it had sortito all gifts of oratory sacred, that, joined to its deep culture, recalling to that time, around to he, beyond the gioventu studious of the Seminary, also that one of solemnity attributed reputation to it of optimal deucatore.
E in greater the religious ones, when it was known that Mascetta would have preached, ***** accorrevan to tempio the most eminent individuality from each social class.
In 1848, don Domenico, who was in the flower of his years, had burning throbbings for the coming of the native land, that he dreamed free and united, and ****plaudi to the Constitution lavished from Ferdinand **, but revelo, later on, one of more rebellious to the king perjury, much to be declared "attendibile politician".  This fact consisted for him cause of one series of persecution, that then ******conchiusero in a political process.  In the commemorative speech that he made in the church of Sant'Agostino di Chieti 12 May 1864 on the defunct Baron don Francisco Sanita, gentlemen chietino of tried virtu nonche patriot, he, said that, in the years that followed 1848, one "******* political" was a such brand of ****** riprovazione that no conduct, for how much irrepressible, never would have succeeded to cancel it; and that therefore to "stendere the hand to one sventurato of this made, rialzarlo from the prostrazione in which of ordinary falls man that fight with the principle of the persecution represented from an implacable and ferocious force was a sin, he was to prepare himself a place in the list of the reprobates; he was to compromise own the tranquillita one.  Nevertheless, he I find who helped it, and I find it in the Baron don Franceso Sanita, which, like patron of the arcipretale of Collemachine, then vacant cure, proposed it for it to the archiepiscopal Curia of Chieti, than did not approve the nomination.

Where was don Domenico to Collemcine?  For how much he turns out to me, he went to Collemcine without, for other, definitively abandoning his chair in the Teatino Seminary, you go to ****risiedrvi to intermittency of time, and where he exercises his spiritual office for little years from 1852 to 1854, and that residence, for the effects that are not derived, it was, later on, injurious.  To Colledimacine not ****** inoperoso rest.  IT was there where he connected relations with the patriots of the valley dell'Aventino from Lama, to Palena, to Montenerodomo, to Torricella; *****ivi, if and true how much it narrates a much disseminated tradition, in 1854, where he received Giuseppe Garibaldi clandestinely, who, always being to what it is narrated, lived for three days in his house, which the patriots convene Simone Verlengia di Lama, don Serafino Grossi di Fara S. Martino, Vincenzo Persichetti di Torricella, and Tito de Thomasis di Montenerodomo, to which they joined Biagio Rossi, Vito Giandolfo, Donato Salvatore and Paolantonio di Pietrantonio di Colledimacine.

The scope of the reunion was one to study the eventual actions to carry out the future for the political Italian cause.
The effect exercised from don Domenico Mascetta to Colledimacine, perhaps because of the usual spies, perhaps also for the direct vigilance of the **** borbonica gendarmeria, **** sfocio in a process that led him to the jail of Chieti, where he was for a little time with Gianvincenzo Pellicciotti, F. Auiriti, R. Lanciano, R. de Novellis, and others of **** eleta formation of the liberals, who then honored l'Abruzzo.  In the process remembered from Beniamino Costantini in the volume "Azione e reazione negli Abruzzi" (Action and Reaction in Abruzzo), together with Giovanni Sabatini of Spoleto, Michele Care of Pescara, Luigi di Giacom of Lama, Camillo di Giacomo of Lama, Nicholas Vincenzo Bomba of Lama, Girberto Martinelli of Lettopalena, Giuseppe Mascetta, Sarlo Luigi Mascetta and Sebastiano Mascetta, Emidiana Mascetta and Rita Giovanelli of Colledimacine, Simone Verlengia of Lama, and Raffael Reccione of Palena, come charged of "attempting and conspiring at objects, and destroying and changing the form of government, and exciting **** sudditi and the inhabitants of the Reign to take arms against the king, from 1852 in Lama, Colledimacine and elsewhere."  With deliberation of 28 April 1855, it was declared to not have them placed in a penal procedure, for which they were released with the others; and, together with him, was placed in prison, he was given to the ******maccdhia, and that, once, being returned to house, and having had endured quickly after, the gendarmi to the heel, it was hidden under the mattress of a bed, under which, in order to mask it, that it was hidden of under, they were placed of the children to play; the constitution exceptionally robust, was recovered, under the mattress, lacking in senses.

What don Domenico Mascetta had to suffer then is easy to imagine, that, to the commune's humiliation to the other patriots, those of the *****disdoro joined, than he it saw to come the life ecclesiastic, to which, like clergyman, ******sommanente tenva.

He left from jail serenely as he had entered; and his escape/release constituted for Chieti a true event: he was accompanied in house of his friend don Alessandro Gentile, where he lived, from numerous **** stuolo of admirers and various citizens, came accompanied from those most near, therefore from his students, than they crowned him.  Great waves of sympathy, especially from young people, affected him such that, they turned to him, declaring the following sonett, than unexpected, and that it ***** ritrae the high affective and moral figure:
"Here, o youths, ***** you find yourselves
of elective studies and silver hopes
Oh! How many times with happy ****
To your ***** do thoughts turn?
Those **** don't ever tremble
To the *****of
***.
Silenced still... ! in the
And that *** think, that low cure
You can *** that **** that listens
All the dignity of the *****
The law of happiness wrote a ***
***, that ***** the human mind:
the law of pain wrote a god!

His life, later on, past without **** turbamenti until to 1860, save some episode, than introduces us to how much fire he always brooded under the ash of a calm appearance.

During Ash Wednesday of 1858 foretells on the pulpit of the Cathedral of Chieti ***** esordendo: -"Today the Church says: Memento homo quia pulvisa es et pulvere reverteris; I tell you, beloved brothers: remember that you are dust, and that men you must return"; debut to which you follow all a hymn to the human dignita and to the triumph of the civil virtue.  A little time after his reduction from the pulpit, it was known that l'Arcivescovo Nons.  De marinis had inflicted it one ****** puizione inviandolo, for some weeks, in the Withdrawal of Orosgna.

In 1860, with the disembarkation of Garbaldi and coming of Vittorio Emanuele II, his figure prevailed, and it, together with Canonico Sigismondi, had the honor to introduce the king, in occasion of his arrival to Chieti, the numerous representation of the clergy from the teatina Archdioceses.  In 1863, it was one of the signatory ones of the petition of the Padre Pazzglia.  later on, its life carried out between the Cathedral and the school, which teaching of the pareggiata technical School and, for a little time, which spiritual chancellor of the national Convitto; perhaps and, it would be passed serene opme that one of the ancient philosophers, if an unpleasant event, caused from its bonte, he had deeply not upsotten.  Don Domenico was very ****caritatevole. Of the tenderest heart, like all the persons of high feelings, he broadly helped the poor under whichever garment they had presented themselves.  One evening, while he was returning home, one of the poor approached, and, with the pretest of having from him the usual aid, he flashed the blade of a dagger.  *****Don Domenico lead to house with if the poor pretended one, and, veccio and trepido how he was, I deliver how much to it also possessed not to receive other evil: but for the received pain, in that same night, he was hit from apoplexy.  He came to himself then from the illness, but from *****alloria ando losing his natural energy.  To speed up his physical ruin and moral domestic pains concurred also.  The brothers that he tenderly loved, engulfed themselves in disastrous speculations, that lead them to the ruin.  To much ****iattura he could not resist that organism already debilitated from the disease, and slowly declining, he died the 11 November 1870, rendering his spirit to that God that he had greatly loved and preached for.
The Second in occasion of Christmas of 1851
Ciccio is born, and been born Ciccio
Comes to light the large one pasticco
For oui speaks gentilmente
Gives many years many people
The novel scattered just as
tuti chiedon with grna lena
if to the court was created
or was in Naples impastato
but the report verce
on such point still tace.
Who does not say to profane
we pentrar of love the arcani
more knowing that the thing
was finor difficult
to turn that every response
in the great part is concorta
imposnendo to the sovrumano
of civil and of the parrocchino.

Originated from Colledimacine (Collis Macinarum).

We say here of continuation the result of our entomological searches on the origin of the name of the town of Colledimacine (Collis macinarum).

Il sintagma and clear orignie latina:

A.          Collis = late Latin collis/is femm. sing. / hill, height, situated sopraelevato.
B.          B. Macinaru = of the/of grinders - genitivo pl. / ae / meant Latin term that signifies grinder, grinding.  Such term, mediated from the late Greek - mechane- and considered "naturalized" Latin to all the effects, a lot and true that and constituente part aforesaid sintagma the current origin of toponimo the very comprehensible one in running Italian.

This in order to say that the origin of the surely Latin name and, to identify mentioned in it collis macinarum.  If not it had been in fact through Latin, the name would have conserved the same accent of the Greek plural genitivo - mechanon -, transformed in Italian in one of those ****toponimi sufficiently diffuse that are in Abruzzi that in Calabria and the Meridione in kind, of the "tripito" type (from the Greek tripitos the pierced one) and we would have had therefore toponimo similar to "colle me cano."

It is naturally a hypothesis, but they exist *** one with the other along with the fact that the isolated position of the place has isolated the same one from a marked influence, **** perlomeno in the ****toponomastica, of the element "greco-pelasgico -. To ulterior demonstration of this the assenza, already noticed, of the appellativo "peligna."

The singular doubt that can persist is that one of an eventual variety meant of the word macina-mechane. It is in Greek that in Latin in fact the significance of the term space from macina for the grain to maccinario in kind until maccina from war (cfr. gr. machena).

We have spoken about the position of Colledimacine, how it is isolated and predominant, now just because predominant, with function of control of the below valley, it was surely *****ambita; it was in summary a position to defend: perhaps just with a war machine of which the "macine" of today *******are resti.

Also for the meaining of maccinario one would not lack an explanation: surely for the pelasgico-type wall constructions they demanded themselves or normal men of cyclopic constitution or men who helped with macinari actions to its use!

When to the realization *****odierna "Colledimacine," various from that one "Colle delle macine" noticed altrove+***, cisi does not have to astonish more than much.
Aside from this, in fact, the possible ****dublice outcome in Italian of the Latin genitivo plural, the more "correct" - of the grinders ***sara met in the certificate - of grinders through it pronounces it dialectal, which we will be able ***roprodurre like "colle dij 'mmacine", simplifying it finally in the written one with the actual "Colledimacine."






Surely the principal activity of our ancestors was pastoral, principal source of their existance.
This following the course of the season, was carried out in two phases that had a place in spring and autumn, consisting in the "TRANSUMANZA" of the crude oil******.  With the return of summer, the shepherds, from the plain of the "TAVOLIERE" applied the crude oil towards the heights of mounts of Abruzzo, covering a first section of adriatic coast, and then, ****inoltrandosi along the Sangro valley, caught up that one of the Aventino, in order then to **** fessare the tonnages on ours ****pingui striped pastures from small innumerous watercourses.  To the approximate of autumn happened ******demoticazione.

It is still visible on the ruins of neighbor JUVANUM ****poderosi ruins of the palace of the VECTIGALIS of the pastorizia already pointed out like already, where it was paid I pay customs of the transumanza herds.

Sure that one of the pastorizia, activity that our predecessors carried out on immense scale, was much profitable one for our ancient mountainous populations.

It derives, from the other, that the frequent contacts with those of the DAUNI, formed a *****compenetrazione of customs and customs that they became common to them, not only, but many familiar nuclei of a zone fixed in the other and viceversa.
TERRITORIAL ASSETS TOWARDS the **** Of the emperor/empire ROMANO
Under Emperor Augusto, the order of the italian territory turned out articulated in REGIONI.

The populations of the abbruzzesi: the PELIGNI, the FRENTANI, the MARSI, the MARRUCINI, and the SANNITI were comprised in the 4th REGION.
Emperor Hadrian, in 199 AD, silenced the previous political ordering, trasforming italy into 17 REGIONS, to the government of ciascuna of those which proposed a consul or a Corrector or a Preside.
The innovation created a particular disorientation between the populations and between the geographers of the time.  The unity: administrative, before ****demoinate MUNICIPIO and COLONIA they remained abolished and all the ****prerogatives which they previously enjoyed were cancelled.  In our city rests only the right of *****scgliersi the "decurioni" that formed the order *****senatorio.

Other transformations were brought by the Emperor Constatine who divided Italian territory in many DIOCESES instituting Prefetti of Pretorio of Italia, of East, of the Illiria and of the Gallie.

At the *****prefetto pretorio of Italy, that resided in Milan, they depended on the Vicari of Rome and of Italia together with the Consuls.  The Viario of Rome resided in Rome.

Under the Vicario of Rome, Constantine ****ripose the SANNIO of which l'Abruzzo it made part and ****chiamevasi Presidiale Province of the SANNIO and therefore one says SUBURIBICARIA.

How it is narrated by historians, the fall of the Roman empire had been due mainly to the changed internal and external conditions to ****affievolirse of the feeling of pride of the ancient Romans.
One determining cause was also the variety of people subject to the domination of Rome; to the ****lusso unbridled, to the *****ingordigia of the riccezza and the *****amusements/pleasures, defects that penetrated into the government, in the administration and in the ****esercito they ended in order to destroy the ancient virtu of their forefathers, *****affievolirono the proud feeling of the ****romanita and increased the external dangers: **** tarlo demolishing that it pulls down the majestic one and huge secular building of Roma:

Of the division that came after, the Barbarians profited very soon, and before them, the ERULI, of Germanic origin led by Odoacre, and then the GOTHS of Alarico, who also desolated our ***contrade of Abruzzo, so that when the last king of the GOTHS, TEIA, moved from the Piceno with its ****orde, in order to help Cuma, in Campania, where Totila, penultimate king of the Goths, had been besieged from the ***esercito the Narsete, from the ***Oriente of the Impero gererale.
In order to bring aid to Cuma, Teia followed the itinerary described from some historians:
"... Teja, King of the Goths, a most warlike man, being in the Piceno, and intending on besieging Cuma, and his treasure in danger, deliberatly **** soccorrerla and seeing he would not to be able to pass the Appennines for the pass of Isernia, nor that of Venafro and Cassino, because he was watched from people of Narse, made his way towards Marsi and Peligni, and passes in Puglia and **** accampossi at Luceria" (552-553).

And what was the way to the Marsi and the Peligni?  It is not certain if it was that of the Adriatic because the historian would have mentioned the Marrucini and the Frentani, before entering in Puglia.  The historian Cristoforo asserts in its work that the centers of the valley Aventina and therefore also Colledimachine, between which and supposing also the ancient JUVANUM, of which ****invano the Madonna di Torricel seek the cause and time period of the destruction, it was destroyed by the Goths.^

Violent waves of barbarians followed, accumulationg ruins on ruins.  Of these, the most violent was the descent of the Lombards in 568.

^Until today it is thought that according to the Madonna that the city "e scomparasa for changing detino from each what terrena.  From JUVANUM by Elio Moschetta E.P.P.T. Chieti


The INVASION Of the Lombards
Ahead of this infernale cyclone, the few ***Dizantini, were sheltered in the inside of walls of the coastal city, not only to defend themselves better but also in order to receive aid from Costantinopole through the Mediterranean.

From this terrible lack of luck touches to italia, but relatively the coastal part of the peninsula, and which means the Veneto shoreline, l?Dsarcato of Ravenna, the Ducato Roman, the Ducato of Naples, the Puglia and good part of the Calabria and the Sardinia, in how much the Longobardi did not have ship? All the remaining territory of the peninsula fell under the barbarisms in all its efferatezza.


Guided from Alboino they invaded with entire families and cattle nearly all the region up to the Sangro river. ****This increment works of fortification from part of the city that already not they were fortified and the exile for others.  Which route of escape they took our poplazioni to to come close to of such terrible flagellum? Surely our forefathers sheltered themselves towards the heights of the Maiella.  **** In fact in contra "Melete" to beyond 1770 meters of altitude, the De Nino has traced remote traces of human *****staniamenti, like rests of ****cocci of terracotta and other primitive tools.

To have an idea of the barbarism of the Lombards, a sufficient example is the gesture completed by their first king Alboino, that obligated the wife Rosmunda, daughter of Cunimondo, king of the Gepidi, to drink in the skull of her father, that the ferocious king had used like goblet.  After the assisination of this human wild animal, to ****work of Rosmunda, the duchi Lombards *****elessero king Autari, which taken for wives the daughters of the king of the Bavari, Teodolinda, who was Catholic.
Saint Bendetto from Norcia, through Teodolinda, induced the Lombards to become Catholic; in order to embrace a religion that, preaching the ****mitezza and humility, had to help them **** to of ventare less ****** selvag than what until then they were stati.

The **** Lombard, under the guidance of  FAROALDO, already had occupied great central part of italia and therefore also Abruzzo.


Pushing along the main valleys of the Pescara, they caught up ***conca the Sulmonese, irradiandosi on the heights, others orde, going around the Maiella, occupied the Chietino and penetrating in the valley of the Aventino, they caught up our comunity, Colledimacine.

It is superfluous to search the sources to assess their presence in Valle Aventina, in how much they are enough eloquent the toponomi of some localities where they took dwelling, like neighboring FARA SAN MARTINO, LAMA DEI PEILIGNI and FARA FILIORUM PETRI, along the valley of the Foro, (1) which that stock inseri even further up and is not given to exclude Colledimacine, Palena, Lama and Taranta.

Other consideration and ***constituita from the numerous churches dedicated to Archangle Saint Michael who is their protector.  There came a time also in the territory of Palena that rose over a **** height altura of the Pizzi mountains, of forehead to the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Altare, where is still visible the ancient ruins of the church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. 

The Lombards subdivided Abruzzo in seven GASTALDATI: Marsi, Valva, Amiterno, Forcone, Aprutium (Teramo), Pinne and Teate.

The "Gastaldo" was the administrative and judiciary head of one gastaldia.  ***Glia inhabitants of the Gastaldato Teatino" like those of the other gastaldati ones, having juror fedelta to ***Carl Magno, conserving Lombard laws and customs: "in aprutio servatur jus; longobardum et illud expedit" (2) *** sicche only the Lombard laws were the sun that came observed.  Every court ***second those, defined the causes, and second the same ones regulated the contratui, the sucessioni, the testaments, the punishment of the crimes, the seizures and all "secundum Longobardum legem" they were very expeditious and without appeal. (3)

(1) The Fare were groups of Lombard families that they lived to the dependencies of a monastery, in which the Abbot, beyond to being their religious head, was also the civil head of small communities.

(2) TEIA: Jus Reigns Long., Lib. Iv.

(3) from the articles of the EDITTO OF ROTARI here are some:

·          If someone has thought or acted against the king, he will be condemned to death and his assets confiscated.
·          If someone, under the direction of the king, kills another person, he will have killed under the king's instructions and will owe nothing. 

·          If someone kills his landowner, he will be killed.
·          If someone prevents the way to a free woman or to a ***fanciullaossia he has made some injury to them, he will give a compensation of 90 coins.
·          During the night a "free man" is found in the court (house of an other), and he does not present his hands to be tied, if he is killed it will be murdered will not be to redeem himself 80 coins.

·          If someone strikes another in the head in way to break a bone, for one bone he will compensate 12 coins.  If they will have been two, he will compensate 24 coins.

·          If someone strikes another in the mouth and causes them to lose teeth, for each tooth he must compensate 19 coins. 
·          If a servent dares to wed a free woman or free child, he will incur the capital punishment.  And of she that consented to the servent, her relatives have the right to kill her and to make what they want of the things of hers.
·          If someone finds one or more pigs digging in their land, he may kill one.

Also in this independent custom we have testimony a few hundred meters from the town of Colledimacine.  Here a natural *****rises dirupo had to you to the slow arrangement of the earth.  Today this ***dirupo corresponds to the name of old Curth - alias Corte vecchia-.

From history not written but handed down through generations and from memory that the court about which is spoken to "secundum longobardorum legem" of stock Lombard, it was composed from old constituent the court that to they time gathered in a place they used; for Colledimacine it exactly had been chosen Curte veccia.  Today we would call it the Palaz accio, justice palace. etc. etc. however the function to part the name was one to administer the law.

From this *****senile reunion it gushed a sentence and a relatively immediate execution.  This way those condemned to death if ****viera, bound, came transported of weight in top and from pushed them to imitate ****Dedalo from the East part, which offers a free fall for a hundred meters and a returned landing on irti and cutting massi.
No one came back.
***perlomeno *** and easy not to reperire news in so far as.  Them cadvere it came poorly abandoned to if same preda of rapaci carnivorous animals.

Today what remains?
It is not certain that the bones were consumend and eaten by time.  Here remains the history and its testimony: CURTH vecchia.
The ruins that encircle it are to indicate that this practical one and in disuse and belongs to the past, and this place of pain and immediate justice, accommodates from some quiet decade a natural one "residence" summary and **** invera in the advanced part for foxes, and in the inferior part for in wild boars.
The teatine lands, after the fall of the Lombard Reign, were found detached from the Ducato of Benevento.  In fact, the historian Erchenperto narrates that, when Grimoaldo, getlteman of Benevento, in the year 501 positioned himself the enemy of the Franchi, Carlo Ragno, who then was in Rome, not receiving submission action, send against him Pipino, his **** figliuolo, which, ***muovendo from Rome for the Marsica, and the Peligni, with **** dusse the army to teatine lands that were watched from the Beneventani and placed seige to Chieti, defense gagliardamente from Lombard the ROSCHINO, but after courageous fight Pipino occupied it and set it to flames (4).
In that age, in Colledimacine existed already one of the first Christian churches: SANCTA MARIA DE TOMBA founded by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincenzo in Volturno.

Similarly such monks founded in Palena another Christian church "SANCTA MARIA DE PALINA" and this comes reconfirmed also from Carl Magno in the 774. (5)


How much is given to know of the Lombards and their way to organize people politically, gains the conviction that they were people, or we can say a race, in which prevailed the sense of the life and the way to clearly organize the human forces on the plan of the production.

It seems that *** es the dettero much importance to agriculture, activity in which from the beginning of the human civilization, it has ***travata the authentic sure way for the existance.  The inclination towards agriculture is to demonstrate one particular propensity of those people to turn to the natural resources more the careful premure, resources that although rich, ***** one particular dedication, a particular and tenacious way to believe in the possibility of man combined rationally to how much the nature can give, but not more **** rigalrci alone. In fact all ****this that today is *****incoloto to that age it was not.  *** Que I am and to ***attribuirsi to the fact that other towns were numerous in the zone which: LISCIA PALAZZO, PIZZI SUPERIORE, PIZZI INFERIORE, CASTRA JOHANNIS ALBERICI (Castelletta), CASARINE, localita LA TOMBA.

(4) "Nam tellures teatensium et urbes a dominio Beneventorum tunc subtractae sunt usque in presens". Mon. Gen Hist. Long., 326 n.  (5) Chronicum Volturn. Vol. II, pag. 139.

To raise the miseries of the escaped to the barbaric avalanche, it was the great work of the Benedictine monks who, illuminated by the light of Christianity, instilled love and hope to the sad populations guiding them back to the rebirth.  In 703, after Montecassino rose on the rivers of the Volturno, other monasteries and, above all, the monastery of SAINT VINCENZO AL VAOLTURNO, to work of the Count Gisulfo of Benevento, which provide to equip the Benedictines of an immense extension of land.


***Ottenuta this donation, the Benedictines begin the hard fight of ****redenzione that explodes in all the its vigor with ****monito characteristic "ORA ET LABORA" addressed to the vassals of the monastery for giving them an ideal of life.

The Benedictines pushed themselves quickly after towards the high mountains of the Abruzzo where before of the highlands they founded a monastery on the ruins of a temple dedicated to Diana, naming it SANCTA MARIA DE QUINQUEILIA and from here caught up the valley of the Aventino founded other churches which include Sancta Maria de Palena and SACTA MARIA DE TOMBA.

From historical documentation in 774, Colledimacine (its name had to be Collis Macinarum) in those old times had certain importance, under the guise of its position that offered pastures in abundance, water and stone.

This operation of material and moral reconstruction was nearly cancelled in 820 from the incursions of the Saracens that seeded ***** ovunque terror and destruction.  To being taken of sight they were monasteries and churches; *** sicche of new these mounts were **** estre or but sure refuges to the devastating fury of the new Barbarians.  Added to this calamity is another in the year 847: the illfamed earthquake that in the Sannio and Abruzzi all the inhabited centers razed to the ground, without sparing one building.  Luca Ostiense speaks about the other. (1)


(1) "Cum annus ab Incarnatione Domini octigesimus quatragesimus septimus volvueratur, tam terremotus per universam Beneventi fuit regionem, ut Isernia fere tolta a fundamentis corrueret, multusque ibi populus et ipse cum eis eorum Pontifex interiret.  Apud monasterium quoque S. Vincenti teerenotus idem plurimasdomos evertit."


***In spite of not were special laws for the civil protection and the reconstruction, the Abruzzese with the tenacity that distinguishes themselves in silence with the own forces fates of these ****** terre.

They rose possedimenti monastici called "VILLE" or "CASALI" dedicated to a Saint or Abbot which: S. Silvestro on the territory of Fallasco ***I know; the villa Cahstra JOHANNI ALBERICI grossly dictates "Castelletta"; PICZI SUPERIUS and PICZI INFERIUS; SAINT MARIA DE LA TOMBA.. and every one of these small villages had one or more small churches, as it turns out from one ***bubble of Pope Clemente III (1080-1100) conserved in the episcopal curia of Sulmona.  The inhabitants were ***vincoiati to the own church or monastery from a series of norms established from the Abbots or getlteman of the place.  It brings back only some choices between the more important or curious.

Everyone of the coloni and ***held to go to prune the fields of the Church, and must have food to ****volonta.  For every performance in the mietitura, everyone must have of breads like and be established.

- Who has a an ass and held to put it to disposition in order to carry the grain to the Church.  Who instead does not have ass, must put to disposition the bags.

- The peasant when he cuts with a scythe the grass and the grain must receive the food the morning and the afternoon.  In the season of the ****puttinges, the relatives and the relatives must carry water the peasants who ***mietono the grain in the ***cmapi. Also the women must have an adequate recompense.

- In every flour mill there is a goblet in order to measure the milled grain, the goblet must have the capacity of one "GIUMELLA" of grain.

- No one can to hunting without the permission of the Chancellor of the Church.  If in case the monks find a hunter who has taken a fox, the skin belongs to the church.  If someone ****prendera one ***lepre this the ***apparterra for entire, (to the church).  Who prendera capro dovra ****cederne to the Church a quarter of the front part.

- No one can to go fishing without the permission of the Church.

Beyond the previous invasions the Abruzzo endures also the FRANCAI, which in gastaldati Lombards replace the COUNTIES.  Under the Franchi resulted that the Reatino Committee had from three sides the MAJELIA, the Pescara and the sea, and towards south seems was the River tripno.

The Reate Committee, with that of the Marsi and of Valva constitute to south the empire's extreme border of Carl Magno and of the Italico ****Reign/Kingdom.

In the year 1035 however, in southern Italy reaches the Norman commanded from Gugliemo "Braccio di Ferro" {Arms of Iron}.  Guglielmo died and the Norman military services pass to the command of Roberto "the Guiscardo" that they free the Puglie from the Bizantini and the Sicily from the Saracens to work of Ruggero I.  Consolidated their power in the ****meridione the Normans tried to lengthen their hands on Abruzzo and began with one conduct to the how many strategic the military operations in the 1061.  They spread in the lands valley of Pescara in the ch were under the jurisdiction of the Monastery of SAINT CLEMENTE a CASAURIA, subsequently, in the year 1064 the conquest was continued with greater violence from the son of Goffredo, said of "loretello," and that it imposed to the monks the ****casauriensi cdi to dichiararsi vassalli of lui.

The entire conquest of Narca Teatina then was completed with ***inaudita violence from Ugo Malmozzetto, *** personaggion of great cruelty, who fixed his quartier general in Lanciano.  It was exactly in this period of occupation that the Normans caught up Valle Aventina and crossed Penna Domo, Livanum, Montenero domo, Collis Macinarum, Picizi, Palena, Monte Porraro upto the highlands of the Majella.

The other column instead, in the command of Riccardo D'Altavilla, movements from within, along the Abruzzese ***Appennicico ridge to the conquest of Marsicane lands and, coming down towards the ***conca of Sulmona, and then through the ***valico of Forca Palena (Palena Pass), *** he refer myself congli armed that eran come from the Adriatic side/route.


It was, in a large way, a maneuver to *****tenaglia for aggiarare the massicio of the Majella and its contrafforti.

The conquered abruzzese territory came divided from the natural limits of the Gran Sasso and the Majella in two Ducati, as revealed from the "Catalogo dei Baroni." 

These changes determined from wars more or less bloody and characterized from pitiless ***sacceggi they upset the teatina region, that it had to endure the hard impositions of the victors those that had *****opposite greater favorite resistance from their dominant position: between they those of Colledimacine, Pizzi Palena (Palena Peaks), Forca Palena (Palena Pass), for which our population, was harried and left in more disheartening misery and abandonment.  Remembering the invasions from the middle of the 10th century it goes held present that Carl Magno had had to collect knights for its wars; in the impossiblity to pay him in currency, he had been forced to pay him with lands and rights on them; this is how the land patrimony came by hand ***sottrato by hand the huge patrimonial dominion of the empire/emperor.


Here, therefore as they came to formarsi the elements of the FEUDO: the BENEFICIUM, the IMMUMNITAS and the FIDELITAS that created the figure of the VASSALLO.

The patrimony land became therefore a precious wealth, powerful means of subjection because it allowed to the Duca to procure warriors, recompensing them with the investment of a feudo.

The conquest of the Normanni upset all barbaric ordering and the name APRUTION limited until then to the province of Teramo, extended to all the ancient Abruzzesi ***committees.  The feudo and nearly always an agglomerate of one or more Castles, villages, country houses and houses scattered in the country; dominant lands, where the word IN DOMO, some of which are the property of Getlteman to the patrimonial title, like PALENA IN DOMO, MONTENERO DOMO, PENNE DOMO, precious towns of strategic character, such as Colledimacine.  Other lands are obtained from the Getlteman IN BENEFICUM, and to their time in all or part, from he *****subconcesse to smaller vassalli "VALVASSINI", and therefore nearly all independent, which means independent from the point of view economico.

They had thusly TERRE DOMINICHE and TERRE TRIBUTARIE or MASSERICIE, subdivided in ****poderi small, assigned to free or liberated cultivators.  They created the MANSI where the word MASERICIA comes from. (1)

The property and the power of the feudatario grew, to ***discapito of the monasteries, it come creating shorter within of the same one property that it depended on the main one: from the PALATIUM.


If one considers the meaning of some toponimi of the high Valle of the Aventino, which LISCIAPALAZZO, a locality between Colledimacine and Pizzoferrato; SAINT MARIA DELA Palace, ancient Benedictine monastery, risen on the ruins of the "Capitolium" easy of the ancient JUVANUM, we and ***dedurne that the PALATIUM was not other that the residence pre-eminent of the Baronial Court, ***arrocata over a dominant position to offer a perfect insurance for defense.


The feudal system that the Normans carried at the moment of their takeover while still alive maintained great part of the financial and judicial administrative orderings of the bizantini, Lombards and Arabs, but ***soffoco every symptom of ****liberat in the great and small centers.

The feudali State and Gentleman had the right on all the land assets, like those civic sayings "usi civici."  The feudatari made ***sovente "difese" in order to limit the "jus pascendi."  The famous characteristic that turn out from the Norman conquest and so the FEUDALE, and of feudal importance and the more interesting document that remains of the Norman domination of Italia "Catalogo dei Feudi dell'Italia Meridionale" conserved in "Registri Angionini" of the Archivio of State of Naples vol.242 and given to the publisher from the Borrello the 1653, the Fimiani 1787 and of the King in 1845.


(1) the Mangus in vulgari italicorum dicitus quantitas terrae que sufficit duobus bobus in year to laborandum.  "It is called MANSO in vulgar italico, one quantity of earth that covers the possibility one of work that two *****buoi they make in a year."

The Borrelli are believed to have compiled at the time of Guglielmo, the Bond for the Crusade in the Holy Land, but as per some modern writers, draft of various notebooks, compiled before 1161 and renewed in 1168 for two shipments against the ***bizantino Paleogo and the other against the Barbarossa.


As the catalogue says:
The "CATALOGUS PARONUM," that is the "Catalogo dei Baroni" that is none other that the registry of the feudal service in province Neapolitan during the half of the 18th Century Venne compiled from "Magna Curia" during the Reign of Ruggero the Normanno, which *****sanci in its Charter, ****oper highly legal regarding the times, the prerogatives of the monarch on all feudi of Italia the Meridionale.


In this "Catalogo" the feudi are listed to all with ****to flank the respective feudatari; they have listed also the economic value just of the feudo, ****second the denunciation of the same owner.  It follows, ****endured after, the number of the knights and the scudieri demands, with increases of the ****servizion military.

I feudatari came distinguished in two classifications: those who hold IN DEMANIUM or IN CAPITE a feudo, and those that have only obtained IN SERVITIUM.

Those that hold "in demanium" are possessed *****peronalmente or directly from the king (A DOMINO REGE) the feudo; the second ones, ******posseggono for ****subconcessione.

****Riassumendo, the feudo consisted for a reason or purpose in a qualunoue property granted from the king a title of vassallaggio, behind oath of fedelta, to price of military service, increased by a certain number of knights in case of war.

L'AUGMENTO, which means the increase, are not found anymore in the period of the successive domination, the sveva, in how much the Svevi halved the quantity of the military service of the "Augment."


Carlo I d'Angio transformed the obligation of the military service with a taxation in money (ADOHAMENTUM), when the feudatario could not serve subsequently of persona.


****Abolita the feudale military service, l'ADOHA remained like one any pecuniaria contribution of the 25.5% of the value of the feudo.

Every baron of the Reign that had 20 ounces of gold of feudali entrances, corresponded to ducati (1) 120 of money, was held to contribute with a MILE, which means a knight, pertaining to the oders of the nobilta feudale, fandata on the same value of the cavalier, supplied of crews and horse (armis ET equis), followed from two SCUDIERI, and these supplied of crews and horses.

The division of expenses much elementary, this way it was shared; if ******sufflitto svogleva within the Reign expenses for the maintenance of the knight were to cargo of the feudatario; if, instead, military the operations were carried out outside from the Reign, expenses of maintenance of the knight were to cargo of "Magna Curia".

These barons who instead had entered feudali ducati inferiors to 120, unmivano between they, until catching up, adding, 120 ducati.

Therefore everyone contributed in proportion to the maintenance of a knight with two scudieri.

******Si evince Colledimacine was under the County of Palena together with Lama, Taranta, Forca Palena (Palena Pass), Rocca di Pizzi, and other castles (for a total of eleven feudi) and arranged with the increase, of 25 knights and fifty scudieri: a nourished formation of 75 audacious and gagliardi knights of the Majella oriental who participated in the war enterprises of the last centuries.  It seems that in the region peligna furnon the Borrelli accounts, descendants from Conti vavensi that seem of origin "francorum", to dictate law.

The *****strategioa unsata from these ****aucaci, ***spreguidicati and scaltri signorotti, since the 11th century was to become rich and powerful at the expense of the assets of the Benedictine monks, obtaining ****the lands or with thin raggiri rapinandole or facendosele yielding to livello.
(1) the ducato is equivalent to L. 4?25 of the tempo.

This is reported also by Muratori in his colossal work "ANNALI D'ITALIA".

"or  they studied to peel now gentle now with violence the curches with promises of an annual canone, and intent on donating some land in property to the sacred places to induce the bishops and Abbots with small present advantage to level they assets.

 

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