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HISTORICAL NOTES ON SAN MARTINO IN RIO
The first documents mentioning San Martino in Rio, its patron Saint and its castle date back to the first half of XI century.
Charles the Great gave these lands to the Church of Reggio Emilia and around the year 1050 the bishop Niccolò Maltraversi, gave them over to Bonifacio of Canossa; then in 1115 his daughter Matilde enfeoffed the territory to a noble family of Reggio: the Roberti family from Tripoli.
From 1115 to 1430 the small capital of this feud was named "Martino de' Roberti".
In 1157 the castle was destroyed by Federico Barbarossa and his soldiers.
In 1346 Nicolò, Bertone and Guido Roberti formed an alliance with Marquis D’Este of Ferrara, offering him support and hospitality, and received the investiture as Lords of San Martino.
The castle was destroyed again in 1353 by the Gonzaga family, who considered the Roberti family, allied with Marquis d’Este, as enemy. Nevertheless, the next year the Roberti were again feudal lords and the castle was rebuilt with the economical support of the Visconti family.
In 1368 the emperor Charles IV confirmed the investiture of the Roberti as lords of the feud of San Martino, but later they were forced to leave the castle forever, due to the disagreement with the Estensi, who had become the Marquises of Reggio Emilia in the meantime.
Nicolò d'Este sent one of his delegates in the feud, in order to give it the jurisdiction of free commune.
In San Martino there was a Council of Elderly People which drew up the “STATUTA” (a series of laws) to govern the territory from the administrative, civil and judicial point of view. This work, formed by 5 books, divided in chapters and paragraphs, was written in 1440 and kept a very important role also in the following years.
Borso d'Este, who had become Duke, gave the feud to the city of Reggio E., as a token of gratitude, having been welcomed favourably; in 1501 Ercole I° nominated his brother Sigismondo lord of San Martino, adding the lands of Campogalliano and Castellarano to this territory.
From that year onwards the descendants of Sigismondo were called "Estensi of San Martino" and the feud became "S. Martino d'Este".
In the middle of XVI century, the colours white and light blue were first used as emblem of the Commune.
In 1571 Cardinal Charles Borromeo, the Archibishop of Milan, came as a host to the Castle and consecrated the new church bell with solemn cerimonies and with great enthusiasm of people. In 1585 the civic tower started to be built and it was completed in 1727. In 1804 a bell was hung on it. In 1590 the Collegiate church was erected by will of Pope Gregory XIV and the archpriest parish was moved from Prato to S.Martino.
With Filippo I D’Este, the members of "Este Martino" family were nominated Marquises.
In 1600 the new Collegiate and Parish church started to be built and the old church was destroyed. In 1607 the Monte di Pietà (a pawnbroking establishment) was open, thanks to the wealth left as inheritance by A. Magistrelli. Seven years afterwards Capuchin friars came to San Martino and they settled in a monastery built by the feudal lords.
In 1618 the "COSTITUZIONI" (Constitutions) were printed, together with the "Grida" (edicts) enacted by the Lords after the drawing up of “STATUTA”. In 1648 the Marquis ordered to institute the General Council of people (made up of the most important families in town) that, from that date onwards, nominated the members of the Council of Elderly People.
In 1663 the bishop Mons. Marliani reconfirmed San Martino as patron saint of the marquisate and declared it compulsory to celebrate his feast.
In 1752, with Carlo Filiberto II’s death, the Este Martino family came to an end and the feud was managed by the Duke Chamber that sent there some Governors to administer it.
In 1772 the marquisate was sold to Don Paolo Rango of Aragona (who kept it until 1792): in that period there were 3227 inhabitants, living in the town and in the sorrounding villages of Prato, Lemizzone, Gazzata, Stiolo and Trignano. In 1791 the hospital was opened. It was built thanks to the wealth left as inheritance by G. Campari, and C. Condulmeri and to the funds obtained by the suppression of religious confraternities.
After French Revolution, the town of San Martino became part of the Cisalpine Republic, but in 1800, the villages of Prato and Lemizzone were ceded to the jurisdiction of Correggio.
With the Restauration the marquisate was again under the Estense government until 1859, when the dominion of D’Este Duke was over and the Reign of Italy was established.
GAZZATA
The first documents mentioning the presence of this village go back to 1063 and 1092. There was a very powerful castle in the area called San Pellegrino, were the Muti family, also known as “Della Gazzada” lived. One of the members of this family was the famous Caco, the leader of Ghibellines who was killed in Reggio Emilia in 1265.
The castle was later ceded to the Sessi family, but the Della Gazzada family continued to live in it, until Giberto Fogliano seized it and destroy it completely in 1349. The village of Gazzata remained for 20 years under the government of the Fogliani family, then it passed to the Robert family and followed the destiny of San Martino in Rio.
The church of Gazzata, dedicated to St. Mary’s Nativity, which was subordinated to the San Prospero monastery of Reggio Emilia, was joined to the parish church of S. Martino in 1590 and in 1803 the tower was added. In Gazzata the friars Sacacio and Pietro Della Gazzata were born: they produced a chronicle of the historical events in Reggio Emilia until 1414.
STIOLO
The church of Stiolo, dedicated to San Damaso, was mentioned in a diploma written by Ottone I in 963.
This village always belonged to the town of San Martino in Rio followed its destiny.
In 1573 Stiolo joined the village of St. Agata; then, when the church of St. Agata was restored, the two villages were separated again. In Stiolo were born Prof. Tommaso Casali, a famous physician and naturalist at the University of Modena (18th century), and the musician Giovanni Magnanini (1841 - 1901).
TRIGNANO
A document of 1302 mentions the church of Trignano, that was subjected to the parish church of Prato. The village of Trignano has always been politically and administratively subordinated to the castle of San Martino in Rio and has followed its history. According to the tradition, the name “Trignano” comes from an event that happened during a war: only three inhabitants of the village survived. It is more probable that this toponym has Roman origins and is connected the cult of Giano.
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