PIACENZA
70
PIACENZA
the other dating from 1601. S. Francesco (1278) has
beautiful columns, but has been disfigured by incon-
gruous restorations; it contains a Pieta by Bernardo
Castelli, a Madonna by Francia, and the tomb of the
famous Franciscan, Francesco Mairone (1477). S.
Giovanni in Canali (1220), formerly of the Templars,
and later of the Dominicans, has also been disfigured
by its restorations; it contains statues of Pius V and
Benedict XI, the tomb of the Scotti family and of the
physician Gulielmo da Saliceto. S. Savino (90.3) was
restored several times and entirely transformed in the
eighteenth century; formerly there was a monastery
annexed to it; in its recent restorations, paintings of
the fourteenth century were discovered, and also pil-
lars and other sculptures of the original construction,
as well as mosaics, a crucifix carved in wood, and
other objects. Outside the city the monastery of the
Cassinesi Benedictines, S. Sisto, founded in 874 by
Queen Angilberga, is a veritable sanctuary of art; the
famous Sistine Ma-
donna by Raphael,
was first here, but
was sold by the
monks, to obtain
funds for repairs.
Santa Maria in
Campagna contains
a very ancient statue
in marble of Our
Lady, four statues
in wood by Hermann
Geernaert, and
paintings by Procac-
cino, Pordenone,
Guercino,andothers.
The Palazzo Du- cale, a work of Vi- gnola (155S), has since 1800 served asa barracks. The Pa- lazzo Anguissola da Grazzano contains fine paintings. The Palazzo Brandini has a gallery of paintings by Correggio, Reni, Guercino, Andrea del Sarto, and Murillo. The Palazzo Landi contains paintings by Van Dyck. The Palazzo Palastrelli has a library of works on the history of Piacenza. Cardinal Alberoni established in this town a famous college. Its church has paintings by Paolo Veronese, Guido Reni, and others. The Piazza de Cavalli has equestrian statues of Alessandro and of Ranuccio I, Farnese, by Mocchi da Montevarchi.
Placentia, with Cremona, was founded in 218 B. c, to hold in check the Gauls after their defeat near Clastidium. The Via ^Emilia terminated there. Seipio, defeated near the Trebbia, retreated to this town. In 206 it was besieged in vain by Hasdrubal and burned by the Gauls in 200. There Emperor Otho defeated Vitellius (69) and then Aurelian was defeated by the Alamanni (271); there also Emperor Orestes was decapitated (467). The Lombards took possession of it, at the beginning of their invasion, and thereafter it remained in their power. From the ninth century the temporal power was in the hands of the bishops, until the twelfth century, when the town be- came a commune, governed by consuls, and later (1188), by a podcsta. In the wars between the Lom- bard cities and with the emperors, Piacenza was an ally of Milan, on account of its hatred of Cremona and of Pavia; wherefore it was Guelph and a party to both of the Lombard leagues. Twice, Uberto Palavicino made himself lord of the city (1254 and 1261), but the free commune was re-established. From 1290 to 1.313, Alberto Scotti was lorfl of Piacenza; his rule had many interruptions, as in 1.308, by Guido della Torre of Milan, in 1312, by Henry VII. The latter's vicar,
Galeazzo Visconti, was expelled by the pontifical
legate Bertrando del Poggetto (1322-35). In 1336
Piacenza came again under the rule of the dukes of
Milan; between 1404 and 1418 they were compelled to
retake the city on various occasions. In 1447 there
was a new attempt to re-establish independent gov-
ernment. The fortunes of war gave Piacenza to the
Holy See in 1512; in 1545 it was united to the new
Duchy of Parma. After the assassination of Pier
Luigi Farnese, which occurred at Piacenza (1547), the
city was occupied by the troops of the imperial gov-
ernor of Milan and was not restored to the Duchy of
Parma for ten years. In 1746 the Austrians obtained
a great victory there over the French and Spainards,
and in 1799 the Russians and Austrians defeated the
French. Napoleon made Lebrun Duke of Piacenza.
St. Antonius, who is said to have belonged to the
Theban Legion, suffered martyrdom at Piacenza, in the
second or third century. The first known bishop is
St. Victor, present at
the Council of Sar-
dica (343); St. Sa-
vinus, present at
Aquileia (381), was
probably the Savinus
to whom St. Am-
brose wrote several
letters. Other bish-
ops were St. Mau-
rus, St. Flavianus,
St. Majorianus(451).
AA'hether the emperor
of t his name intended
to become Bishop of
Piacenza is uncer-
tain; he was not its
bishop, having been
killed soon after his
abdication. Joannes
was a contemporary
of St. Gregory the
Great; Thomas (737)
was very influential
with King Luit-
prand; Podo(d.839)
was honoured with a metrical epitaph; Guido (904), a
man of arms rather than of the Church; Boso (940)
freed himself from the jurisdiction of the metropolitan
See of Ravenna (re-established by Gregory V), and be-
came the antipope John XVI ; Pietro (1031 ) was exiled to
Germany by Conrad II; Dionisio was deposed in 1076
by Gregory VII; St. Bonizo (1088), who had been
Bishop of Sutri and a great supporter of Gregory VII,
was killed in 1089; during the incumbency of Aide
(1096), Emilia was temporarily taken from the juris-
diction of Ravenna; Arduino (1118) founded the new
cathedral; Ugo (1155), a nephew of Anacletus II, was
driven from his diocese by the schismatics; under Ar-
dizzone (1192) and Grumerio (1199) grave conten-
tions began between the clergy and the consuls, and
Grumerio was driven from the diocese; Orlando da
Cremona, O.P., was mortally wounded by a Catha-
rist while preaching (1233); P. Alberto Pandoni
(1243), an Augustinian; Pietro Filargo (1386) became
Pope Alexander V; Pietro Maineri (1388) was for-
merly the physician of Galeazzo II; Branda Castig-
lione (1404) was a professor of law at Pavia, and took
part in the conciliabulum of Pisa and in the Council of
Constance, and became a cardinal; Alessio da Sircgno
(1412) was a famous preacher; Fabrizio Marliani
(1476) was very zealous for the reform of morals in the
clergy and in the people; Cardinal Scaramuzza Trivul-
zio (1519); Catalano Trivulzio (1525); Cardinal Gio-
vanni Bernardino Scotti (1559) was a very learned
Theatine; the Bl. Paolo Burali (1570), a Theatine, be-
came a cardinal; Cardinal Filippo Sega (1578); Ales-
sandro Scappi (1627) was obliged to leave the duchy
