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Below are several passages taken from the book: Castelli delle Marche (Castles of the Marche), by the Italian Castle Institute. Carpignano (Castrum Carpignani) Below
are several passages taken from the book: Castelli delle Marche (Castles
of the Marche), by the Italian Castle Institute. We
are very pleased to dedicate this piece to Carpignano, the military
defence castle of San Severino, undoubtedly not very well-known but
fascinating. Located
in the middle of a valley south-east of San Severino on the left of the
Cesolone stream, this fortification from its unusual position had
considerable strategic importance for about a thousand years. The
proximity of the stream and watermill perhaps increased its importance. Almost
at an equidistance between the ancient towns of San Severino Marche
(10Km), Tolentino (4Km) and Serrapetrona (6Km), it was keenly sought-after,
to the extent of being destroyed and rebuilt several times. The
toponym dates back to the Roman age, Carpinianum 1. The examination of what remains of the castle reveals first and foremost
an unusual position, almost in contrast with the standard castles that
favoured sites naturally prepared for defence. Being situated in a valley,
flanked by hills, it does not seem that it was built for defence purposes.
Clearly the tower that stands was erected (this is the oldest and still
the most eminent construction) as a look-out turret which, in the course
of the centuries, had to
undergo maintenance and radical renovation work to meet the changing
demands of war, being forced to equip itself with firearms. Already
from the XIII century the castle belonged to San Severino. It was the
subject of repeated destructions and then major adjustments and
reinforcements in 1471 with the work of Pier Martino Cenci, consul of San
Severino 2. The square master tower was the first part to be
renovated, being covered with an anti-bombard foundation, that didn’t
just surround the donjon. In fact the architect created a sort of
anomalous rafter with which to harness the tower on the SE and SW sides
and with the corner facing towards the NE, right towards the street that
runs above the castle, so that it could divert bomb attacks fired from
that position. The
system used to access this tiny fortress was extremely interesting. It was
composed of a sling-rafter (inaccessible by the main stairs) and the
master tower. One
accessed it by means of wooden stairs and footbridges resting on beams
that were lodged in specific putlog holes, which still exist today. By
pulling up the movable staircase resting on the ground, the control tower
remained isolated. If particular security or emergency situations meant
that any easy possibility of ascent was to be avoided, the
footbridges that surrounded parts of the base rafter were removed or
quickly destroyed and the tower was completely isolated, ready to defend
to the bitter end. Even if one reached the battle floor,
to enter the actual tower one had to get over another obstacle of some metres
3. Both
the sling-rafter and the tower were probably equipped with machicolations
to be in keeping with the fifteenth-century developments. This
would therefore have also included a crenellated parapet and shot-holes. Nothing,
however has remained that can vouch for this architectonic expedient that
would have defended the castle both from above and below. The hypothesis
that we suggest foresees both the described entrance system and the
defence system through machicolations. The
counterscarp of the base sling is evident (but not exaggerated). The
platform of the sling, besides being used to keep watch and protect the
castle gate, was also used to plant bombards and semi-portable artillery
with which to repel any demolition attacks fired from the road-side. It is
clearly from there that one feared the most attacks. About
a third of the top of the tower is cut off, and currently stands at a
height of about 25 metres. It is difficult to hypothesize how it was
originally divided, perhaps into 5 or 6 floors. It
is a fact that two thirds of today’s construction (sling and tower) is
inaccessible internally. It is evident that the tower would have also been
used below the floor of the entrance room. Recent
restorations have obstructed any possible access to the lower floors which,
in all probability, would have lead to underground escape passages, in
case of siege, when the tower could no longer be defended or it had to be
restocked. But
the castle used the wall with towers and an entrance gate. Let’s
consider them separately. First
of all, let’s examine the castle gate (ianua
castri), of which remains very little - only the supporting round
arch. The gate, facing west, was placed in the NE corner of the circuit,
which has an irregularly trapezoidal layout. The north-west façade of the
castle was therefore made up of the main gate, part of the curtain wall
and a small battlement tower interrupting the line of the wall, which we
will discuss in a moment. The ianua castri was made up of an edifice delimited by two curtain lines (North and West) and by a perimeter wall that delimited the guardhouse. On the whole, the remains of the complex, even though restored, are in bad condition. The
castle gate was probably surmounted by a crowning with corbels and
machicolations of which there is nothing left. Continuing from the gate
towards NW, it appears that the curtain wall was interrupted in order to
build the current road to the entrance of the castle. The wall was angled
towards south, and then replaced by a small group of houses. A
circular clipped turret, slightly sloped, interrupts the fortified circuit,
then the curtain continues until it is angled again towards the east. Here,
the badly deteriorated buildings show evidence that there were once
perhaps constructions of the fortified complex which had a practical
purpose. The south-eastern façade of the castle no longer exists (demolished).
Only a circular turret remains, similar to the one already seen and cut
off at the top with a cover for living purposes. Facing
NE, the turret flanked both
the SE curtain wall and the north-west one, now replaced by the parish
church. Originally the curtain wall that branched off from the turret
joined the base part of the master tower, and then went on to join the
castle gate. The circuit is therefore relatively small - about 200 metres
and built in sandstone, as was the whole fortified complex. A
stone coat of arms, embedded upside down into the facade of a house
overlooking the keep, (due to disdain or simple ignorance), perhaps shows
evidence that the castle belonged to the Guelphic faction. In fact, there
is a carved rampant lion and a band that crosses the triangular shield. As
with many castles, Carpignano also seems to hide a treasure, as from the
eighteenth century onwards, treasure seekers flocked to search for it
between the centuries-old walls4. A
final observation: the position of Carpignano, as mentioned, is not
seemingly one of the best. Nevertheless,
those who have been able to climb up to the top of the tower have said
that they could pick out the tower of the Castle of Pitino - therefore
allowing one to exchange signals that could gradually reach the central
control tower of the fortified zone: San Severino5. ------------------------------------------------------------ (1)
G. Boccanera, Serrapetrona, Macerata, 1982. On
the subject of toponyms, let’s recall what was recorded by R.Paciaroni
in “L’Appennino Camerte” no.1 of 9 January 1971: “The toponymy of
the Marche at times provides elements that serve to attribute a
physiognomy to the landscape that with time can also profoundly change.
Some names make a clear reference, for example, to the vegetation. In this
way, Carpignano, or as read in the ancient parchments “Carpagnano”,
might only mean a woody place with hornbeams. Carpignano’s territory
remained predominantly woody until the late Middle Ages and this makes the
etymology more plausible.
According to the historian, V.E.Oleandri, one can conjecture that
the name Carpignano derives from a “fundo Calpeniano” from the Roman
people Calpena (cfr. “La cella farfense di S.Mariano e
l’origine del Castello di Colleluce” – page 7). To
back up this conjecture, a passage is quoted from a gravestone coming from
the ancient Settempeda where it reads “C.CALPENVS / … DES”. In
the work “Toponomastica Marchigiana” (“Toponymy of the Marche”) (vol.IV)
by Giulio Amadio, it says instead how Carpignano is derived from a
“praedium Carpinianum” from the gentilitial name “Carpinius”.
However, these two etymologies deriving
from a possession (“fundo” and “praedium”) of “Calpenus” or
rather “Carpinius” do not seem very likely. (2)
“There
were two inscriptions, now lost, in which was written: P.MARTINUS. CENCI
F.F HOC CASTRUM / M. “CCC.”LXXI.” P.MARTINUS. CEN CH. F.F.HOC.
CASTRV”, in V.E.Aleandri, new guide of San Severino Marche, San Severino
1898. (3)
Originally,
when the tower was not yet stocked with anti-bombard slings, the entrance
passage was about fifteen metres from today’s level, supposing that the
tower had not been surrounded by a moat; in which case the difference in
level would have been greater. (4) G.Paciaroni, Ricerche di tesori nascosti nel Sanseverinate (Searches for hidden treasures in San Severino), Circolo cittadino, San Severino Marche, 1991. (5)
To add to
what has already been quoted, let us note other articles by R.Paciaroni on
the subject: “Resti di castelli sanseverinati” (“Remains of San
Severino castles”), in “L’Appennino Camerte”, no.13 of 29 March
1980;
----------------------------------------- Article
taken from the magazine "La voce Settempedana” - Year XLVIII n.43
of 27 October 2001 Carpignano
Castle
Carpignano castle is a military architectural jewel and part of the San
Severino defensive system of castles.
Dominated by a powerful bridge house with an ancient keep it is
supported by high polygonal bedrock where traces can still be found of the
hollows left from one of the old wooden escalator systems used to access
the tower. Situated
in a strategic position downstream, on the left bank of the Cesolone River,
it was the object of a long dispute between San Severino and the
neighbouring areas. The
castle was conquered and re-conquered many times, destroyed and
reconstructed. In 1379 it was
handed over from Pope Urbano VI to Bartolomeo Smeducci but once again
conquered and only in 1471 did it enter into the possession of San
Severino. In the same year
inscriptions, that have since been lost over time, testified that Consul
Piermartino Cenci expanded and reinforced the castle so that it could
sustain potential artillery attacks.
The castle has an approximately 200 metre perimeter and there are still
the remains of the original boundary wall, the arc and the three circular
turrets on a slight slope, currently used for residential purposes.
In the wall of on of the houses that faces the keep, you can find a Guelfi
emblem of a rampant lion carved in stone and placed upside down (perhaps
originally due to contempt), luckily not yet covered over by plaster and
which bears witness to the quarrels of the past and the affiliation of the
castle to the Guelfi fraction.
Many years ago, the female Benedictine monastery of S.Claudio was located
here in the San Severino castle, but it was then transferred to Sassuglio
for reasons of safety.
Here stands the ancient church dedicated to St. Mary Assunta, mentioned
for the first time in a parchment of 1241 in which Phillip, Bishop of
Camerino, was able to grant certain rights to churches and chapels,
appointing Carpignano to the S. Mariano Val Fabiano abbey to raise its
fates after an attack suffered under the troops of Frederick II.
Following the union of the monastery of St Martino to that of Valfucina in
1327, the Church of Carpignano was joined to the collegiate church of S.
Venanzio of Camerino. In 1586, after the San Severino diocese was restored, it
finally became subject to the parish of Colleluce under which it still
depends.
Reduced to a ruin and completely unusable due to a collapsed roof, it was
restored to its original state in 1987.
Making use of the restoration process, the opportunity was taken to
restore the partition wall moving the altar forward to create a small area
to be used as the sacristy.
The only fresco (from the XVI century) kept hidden and preserved inside,
is that of a beautiful reproduction of Our Lady of the Enlightenment
hidden within a concave niche and decorated on the outside with flowers
and fruits.
The image (190x130cm) can be viewed through a long diagonal crack allowing
merely a glimpse of the traces of figures inside: three heads of angels
San Severino holding in his hand a model of the city and S. Giovanni
Battista in line with descriptions made in the past.
Restoration work is needed to preserve what remains.
Severino Servanzi Collio upon describing this fresco also speaks of
an altarpiece that represents the Assumption featuring Saints John,
Severino and Nicola all traces of which though have unfortunately been
lost. However, it can be assumed that the church was one full of ornaments judging from the valuable fifteenth century cross with intricate gold workings that can today be found in the city’s art gallery.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside
the small battlement tower, the loopholes (there are three), from which
one used to insert weapons to fire outside the castle walls, are still
visible.
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