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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture What a wonderful town! Thank you especially for this one. DW > > John of Capistrano (d. 1456) > > This somewhat well known saint of the Regno (thanks in part to a city in > California named after him and now famous for its swallows) was born in > Capestrano (AQ), the tiny seat of a rural county of the same name (and > spelling) that in 1284 became part of the Acquaviva domains in today's > Abruzzo, that in 1318 was given to the counts of Celano, and that in > 1463 passed to the Piccolomini dukes of Amalfi, under whom it became a > marquisate that lasted until 1584, when its new owners, the Medici of > grand ducal Tuscany, elevated it to a principality. 'Capistrano' seems > to go back to the Latin of J.'s earliest Vitae; however traditional that > may be in this instance, perpetuating the toponym's 'i'-spelling (as > Phyllis' source and many others continue to do) is misleading: this is > non-standard for the town itself and may also suggest to those to whom > the saint is _not_ particularly well known that he came instead from > Capistrano (VV), down in Calabria. > > Capestrano is a strategically placed, walled hilltown overlooking the > valley of the Tirino: > http://tinyurl.com/bywnu > http://tinyurl.com/a9f6p > http://tinyurl.com/8zukl > Dominated at one end by its castle (which assumed its present form -- > apart from the modern windows -- in the later fifteenth century under > the Piccolomini): > http://tinyurl.com/97476 > http://tinyurl.com/7gjl2 > , it has an old quarter > http://tinyurl.com/938b2 > that includes a house now shown as that of J. Interior views of this > are here: > http://tinyurl.com/aa9nd > and here: > http://tinyurl.com/88tkw > > Outside of the town proper is the formerly monastic church of San Pietro > ad Oratorium, once a property of San Vincenzo al Volturno. In its > present form it is a very late eleventh- and early twelfth-century > structure notable for for, among other things, the carvings of its > portal, its ciborium, and its partly preserved frescoes. A few views > (expandable) are here: > http://xoomer.virgilio.it/eccip/images/san%20pietro/index.htm > An English-language discussion (click on the Italian version for help > when things become unclear) with expandable thumbnails is here: > http://www.abruzzoheritage.com/magazine/2002_03/0203_a.htm > And an Italian-language discussion with expandable views (especially > good for the carvings) is here: > http://tinyurl.com/dmw4r > > Also in the vicinity is the monastery of San Giovanni da Capestrano, > founded by the saint in 1447 and containing in its museum a variety of > objects once in J.'s personal possession: > http://web.tiscali.it/capestrano/convento.htm > Much rebuilt in the early modern period, it retains elements of the > original construction in its cloister: > http://tinyurl.com/78vkv > http://tinyurl.com/8ce7o > > Best, > John Dillon > > ********************************************************************** > To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME > to: [log in to unmask] > To send a message to the list, address it to: > [log in to unmask] > To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion > to: [log in to unmask] > In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: > [log in to unmask] > For further information, visit our web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html