Comune di Sant’Agata sul Santerno

The history of Sant’Agata has always been closely linked with the river; Santerno was an important transport connection between Spina and Etruria since the Roman times. At the beginning of the 1st millennium an important castle was established here because of the strategic location of the place;
today the remains of the fortress constitute the town centre.
Sant’Agata was established around the year 740 when the parish of Sancta Agatha, which is one of the oldest in the area, was built; in the 12th and 13th century the church was part of the diocese of Faenza but now it is part of the diocese of Imola. Since its construction, the castle has been disputed between various lords of Romagna, of Ferrara, as well as by the Pope, because of its strategic location by the river Santerno. In 1440 the Pope Eugene IV sold the town, together with other lands, to the House of Este; the eagle of the Este still features in the municipality’s coat of arms.
When the House of Este died out, in 1598 Sant’Agata became part of the district of Ferrara. It was conquered by Napoleon’s army in 1796 and in 1815 it was returned to the Pope; in 1859 it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. A royal decree in 1863 determined that the town’s name should be Sant’Agata sul Santerno. Both World Wars brought great suffering to its citizens.

THINGS TO SEE

PIAZZA GARIBALDI
This is the main square and the original site of the famous medieval castle; some say that the fortress was commissioned by Frederick I Barbarossa.

Torre dell’Orologio
One of the two entrance towers of the castle has partially survived and has been transformed into the clock tower. Here it is commonly known as “La Porta” and its image also features in the town’s coat of arms; the bell of the tower is know as “la campana della ragione” (the bell of reason) since 1487, because it was used to gather all the citizens.

Chiesa Arcipretale S. Agata
This church is just behind the tower; it was designed by the architect Pritelli and built in 1881 on the ruins of a Renaissance church. The sacristy was built with the remains of the old church, whose façade might have been designed by Bramantino; the external wall of the church, on the west side of the building, features a portion of the original cornice, which dates back to 1494. The church has a Latin cross plan and houses paintings by local artists, amongst which Tasselli from Lugo and Orfeo Orfei from Massalombarda. In 1944 Umberto Folli from Massa Lombarda decorated the vault of the presbytery with a fresco depicting the four evangelists.

Palazzo Comunale
The town hall lies next to the tower and it’s possible that this building was also part of the fortress, as the land registry of Napoleonic times (1800) suggests. This hypothesis would be supported by the presence of scarp walls.

PALAZZO DEI CONTADINI
Via Roma, 12
This early 20th century rural house is commonly known as “Cà di cuntaden”, which means house of the farmers in the local dialect. It was recently restored and is now a cultural centre.

VILLA PATRONALE (SAN VITALE)
Via San Vitale, 53
This villa was built at the end of the 19th century, but the original structure is that of a rural 18th century house. Its owner was the famous mathematician Gregorio Ricci Curbastro from Lugo.

Tourist Information Centre
Piazza Garibaldi, 5 – Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 13:00; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10:00 – 13:00 Tel. +39 0545 919900; fax +39 0545 45790
e-mail segreteria@comune.santagatasulsanterno.ra.it
www.comune.santagatasulsanterno.ra.it
www.romagnadeste.it