A bit of History

The medieval village of Exilles and its churches

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 12:56:00 GMT

The history of ancient Exilles (the Excingomagus of the Celts and Exmilia of the Romans) is less linked to that of the fortress of the same name than one might think. From ancient times military works garrisoned by a central authority (the Roman emperors first, the Dolphins, the King of France, and finally the King of Sardinia) were raised in the area, but the fortress garrisons were also recruited from distant countries that had nothing in common with the local inhabitants.

The fortress almost always functioned as a logistical base for controlling the borders of Piedmont and France, and in case of raids, the village was the first to bear the consequences. In this regard, we recall the June 1453 massacre by Duke Lodovico of Savoy, who sacked the village, slaughtering the inhabitants. Then there were numerous raids by the Waldensians between 1560 and 1574, and in 1650 the village was burned and sacked by a band of deserters and cavalry soldiers.

On the other hand, during the Middle Ages and up to the 17th and 18th centuries, looting actions against border towns were frequent without any way for fortress garrisons to intervene. This explains why the town of Exilles, which had such an important fortress behind it, had its own fortifications and a shelter to house inhabitants and supplies during sieges, thus separating its military history from that of the fort.

The village of Exilles seen from above (Federico Milesi).

The settlement was and still is constituted1 by a quadrilateral bounded by the four main streets of the village. The built-up area has gradually developed over the centuries from a medieval ricetto with a classic square shape that is still clearly recognizable within the village's building fabric.

Inside this building complex one could only penetrate through doors, called "Côr" (in patois andito, covered passage), one in the center of the side towards Susa, one in the center of the side towards the Dora, one in the center of the side towards Oulx, and two towards the mountain. The houses that rise along the sides of the quadrilateral all have a particular characteristic: they are cellars and their floors are 70 centimeters lower than the ground floor; in addition, there are lintels of passages that were probably communicating.

There were no buildings inside the shelter, and the open space served as shelter for the herds in case of aggression and siege. The village was divided, in an east-west direction, into three zones: Corlote, Charrière and Chaclà.

Corlote was the interior of the central quadrilateral, while Charrière was the ancient street of France (now Rome Street) at the end of which, upstream and downstream, two bottlenecks are visible, traces of the ancient gates that closed its entrances. The buildings facing this road form a series of small ricetti flanking each other. Seven can still be counted, and the oldest is the one in St. Anthony's alley in the Borg du Crin (tradition says there was a stronghold inside that served as a hospital for the Antonians, who famously cured ergotism and shingles with pork lard). An original statuette is still visible here alongside a recent painting of naive artistic quality.

In the center of the Charrière still runs a ditch, fed by water from the Galambra stream, then called the "Biarje," similar to that of the Grande Garguille in Briançon and probably serving the same functions during fires.

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THE PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT PETER

At the south end of Charrière, on a narrow esplanade, is the present parish church, which dates from the 15th century and is dedicated to St. Peter. This church stands on an early Christian basilica, probably dedicated to Mary: evidence of this is the capitals visible half a meter high on the first two pillars of the nave, which attest to the existence of columns below.

The facade, with the entrance portal surmounted by pointed arches, ends with a cornice of hanging arches. Characteristic Dauphiné heraldic signs and fleurs-de-lys of France are visible to the right of the portal. The high altar dates from 1682, and a carved wooden tabernacle is preserved in the right aisle, from which, according to tradition, the monstrance with the consecrated host was removed during the sacking of 1453.

Exilles, St. Peter Parish Church, Retable of the High Altar.

Legend has it that the loot was loaded onto a mule and transported to Turin where the animal knelt down and would not go any further. The pyx opened and the consecrated host rose: this was the miracle of the Blessed Sacrament, in memory of which the Corpus Christi church, designed by Ascanio Vittozzi, was built.

The Chaclà, called "Chatellard" in more recent documents, is the southern part of the village and was the fortified gateway under the cliff. The houses rising around it still bear visible traces of the ancient military function: towers, patrol paths and loopholes. The only remaining example of this line of fortifications, besides the walkway in Vicolo della Torre, is the stone tower that remains elevated in Vicolo San Giovanni. Perhaps the top of the cliff had housed a Celtic "oppidum," a military base and observation post for the warriors of the Cottian king Donno, who had taken refuge in the mountains to escape the Romans.

THE CHAPEL OF SAINT ROCH AND SAINT SEBASTIAN

The southern part, downstream of the village, took the name "Catra Vià" and reached the road junction to which the ancient Celtic road headed, which on the orographic left slope climbed from Susa via Maddalena and reached Cels. The ancient route mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus in the 15th book of the Histories probably connected to this road junction and reached the Ambin pass.

The chapel in a postcard from 1929 (Private archive of the Reymond family).

Here stands the chapel dedicated to Saints Roch and Sebastian, one of the last chapels in the area still privately owned, which, next to a secondary altar, holds a statue that E. Patria attributes to St. Anthony.

The small church was commissioned by Pierre Odiard, Consul of Exilles, in 1660.

The confraternity of white penitents, in ancient dialect called the Batu, was one of the last great penitential movements to occur in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. They were present in Exilles, where they were assigned the north altar of the main church dedicated to St. Sebastian, their patron saint.

When the small church was dedicated to St. Roch and St. Sebastian, the Batu left the altar in the north aisle of the main church and gathered in the new sacred building, until some disagreements with Pierre Odiard led them back to the main church.

It preserves a sandstone lintel with three carved crosses and some early Christian sculptures on the northwest corner: human figure pierced by arrows, probably St. Sebastian, bow and arrow, javelin, and horse.

These bas-reliefs may have come from the grounds of the ancient cemetery that Peter Capoul bought and donated for the construction of the chapel in 1658, or they may have been present in situ: during excavations on the west side conducted to constitute the walkway behind the building, skeletons were resurrected in the lime, burial reserved for plague victims. This leads one to think that there was an older cult building present that after the plague of 1600 was reorganized and dedicated to Saints Roch and Sebastian2.

Early Christian sculptures lent themselves to various interpretations, which Marco Cibonfa's detailed study summarizes as follows:

North: cycle on St. Sebastian, Christian family and splayed arch window with Lily of France, Dolphins of Vienne and winged angel.
South: St. Roch, cycle on St. Peter.
West: early Christian symbols that may be even older (shell).
East: main facade with Golgotha, date of construction, name of the developer-owner (Pierre Odiard) and other early Christian symbols at the base (fish, circles)

The only signs that cannot be interpreted are the missing ones that were stolen in the postwar years: missing are the early Christian plinths that stood in the five-foot-square frame on the northwest side complementing the crucifixion of St. Peter and a bas-relief dedicated to St. Roch that was inserted in the aedicule (now walled up) on the south side

However, the presence of the building testifies to an active associational life when one considers that in the 1600s Exilles had as many as four religious confraternities (Confraternity of the Holy Spirit, of the Rosary, of the Penitents, and of the Blessed Sacrament, all devoted to religious and charitable purposes), which had so much impact during such conflicting periods as religious strife and set an example of a small democracy within a central ecclesiastical power.

1 Ettore Patria, "News about an ancient Roman-medieval village: Exilles," in "Segusium" June 1971, year VIII.

2 On this aspect (damnatio memoriae, the reinterpretation of pagan and Christian cult buildings over time) see Marco Cibonfa, "The Chapel of Exilles Dedicated to Saints Rocco and Sebastian," in Segusium.

We thank Marco Cibonfa for advice and clarification.

Who was the Iron Mask, the man imprisoned in Exilles from 1681 to 1687?

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 11:57:00 GMT

Legends and suppositions have been circulating about the true identity of the Iron Mask for centuries. The man, who really existed and was born in 1638 in Paris, was taken prisoner during the reign of Louis XIV of France. His story inspired Alexandre Dumas father, who described him in his novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne.

The Iron Mask has a connection to the Susa Valley in that part of his long imprisonment was spent inside the Fort of Exilles, where he was imprisoned from 1681 to 1687. The name derives from the fact that the prisoner's identity was concealed by a black velvet mask, attached to his head with metal straps.

Although incarcerated, the man was given a treat that included quality food lavishly bestowed, expensive clothing, provision of books and a musical instrument, the lute, with which to spend time in the cell. The Iron Mask was not allowed to speak to anyone except the confessor and the doctor in case of health problems; he also had to conceal his face whenever he came in contact with anyone.

He could only remove his mask for feeding and sleeping, in the safety of his cell, while he was obliged to wear it during walks in the courtyard, guarded by the guards.

The imposing silhouette of the Fort of Exilles (photo Fulvio Giorgi).

The rumors that followed over time are many and varied: some claimed he was a minister of the Duke of Mantua guilty of betraying the king with whom he served, others speculated he was a spy called Dubreil.

Some swore it was a gentleman, a certain Eustache Dauger, a protagonist of sex scandals in Paris, some a general, even a Jacobin monk. Others leaned toward a servant named La Rivieri, but some speculated it might have been either the superintendent of finance Nicolas Fouquet or the Italian Count Ercole Antonio Mattioli, who was responsible for a double game against the sovereign.

Amid exchanges of persona and dates of death, masterfully orchestrated to muddy the waters and throw off the search, Voltaire stood out and wanted to see it through. Imprisoned in the Bastille in 1717, the French philosopher learned of this figure's existence from the accounts of guards who had watched over him in the past.

Upon his release from prison, Voltaire initiated research and found out about the prisoner's sudden death in the fall in 1703. The body was supposed to have been buried at the Saint Paul des Champs cemetery in Paris under the false name of Marchiergues or Marchioly. The obsequies had been attended by Bastille Governor Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, who, oddly enough, had always been followed by the prisoner in all his movements.

These had in fact been taken from the Fort of Pinerolo (of which Saint Mars was governor) to Exilles, later landing on the island of St. Marguerite, off the coast of Cannes, and finally at Bastille. The data, however, did not add up: the Bastille doctor stated that the deceased was roughly 60 years old, the burial certificate stated 15 years younger.

BETWEEN LEGEND AND MYSTERIES, NO ONE HAS EVER DISCOVERED THE TRUTH

Voltaire's investigations yielded no results, and plausible answers were not found in the years to come either. The special attentions to which the prisoner was subjected led to widespread thought that he was someone particularly dear to the king.

One of the two main theories brought forward by Voltaire, but never confirmed, speculates that the Iron Mask was the twin or a half-brother of King Louis XIV, sidelined to prevent him from interfering with his brother's accession to the throne. However, the hypothesis seems unfounded as it was impossible for a queen's birth, subject to strict court protocol, to have been hushed up, given the number of people including doctor, midwives, service staff, ladies-in-waiting, etc. who would attend.

The Iron Mask in a historical re-enactment (photo Pro Loco Pinerolo).

Could this then have been a natural son of the ruler? Was it perhaps Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vermandois, one of his illegitimate children? No one can say.

The second supposition identifies the mysterious prisoner as the King's natural father. Louis XIV was born in 1638, but his parents' marriage dated back to 1615; could it have lasted 23 years without children? Considering that 5 years after the wedding, the couple led separate lives within the royal walls, there was a hypothesis that, in order to avoid competition from relatives for the ascension to the throne, Louis XIII, who had become impotent in the meantime, had sought a scion of Bourbon descent who, for a large reward, would lend himself to making the queen a mother.

Perhaps, years after the woman's death in 1666, the real father, noticing the resemblance to his son, had returned to beat the drum to ensure silence again, being locked up and forced to wear the mask for life? The mystery was never unraveled, leaving the enigma unsolved.

However, the three fixed points of the affair remain: the prisoner was informed of some serious fact that, if revealed, would create problems for the authorities; the sight of his face was prevented, so it had to be someone known; and one could not get rid of him by killing him with poison and making him disappear since there were political or emotional impediments that prevented such action.

The mixture of truth and lies, accompanied by legend and history, as well as numerous film adaptations and books published on the affair, further cloaked a visit to the Exilles fortress overlooking the Susa Valley with fascination. Curiosity grew with the passage of time, but no one, not even many centuries later, has ever been able to reveal what identity was behind the mask.

Nicolas Catinat, the French general who destroyed the Castle of Avigliana

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 16:12:00 GMT

You may have already happened to look at the impressive Avigliana Castle and wonder why only ruins remain of it. Lo and behold, such destruction is attributed to Nicolas Catinat and his troops. After his passage through Avigliana, the Castle, built in 924 by the Marquis of Turin Arduin the Glaber, was never rebuilt. But why did Catinat strike Avigliana specifically?

Nicolas Catinat was one of the greatest military strategists of the 17th century, known for the meticulousness with which he studied troop movements and for his bayonet assault technique (the use of a cutting weapon mounted on the barrel of a rifle that allowed the enemy to be attacked at close range), but also for the ruthlessness with which he conducted his campaigns, sowing terror and destruction. He began his career in the French Guard, achieving in time the title of Grand Marshal of France.

Catinat's strong impact on our territory began in 1686, when he joined the Savoy in campaigns to persecute the Waldensians; on May 17 of that year he massacred more than 60 of them in the hamlet of Balziglia (Massello Municipality) in the Germanasca Valley.

The Susa Valley was devastated by the passage of the French commander's troops in 1690 following the Battle of Staffarda (in the province of Cuneo), where the Piedmontese army of Victor Amadeus II of Savoy suffered a severe defeat by France.

The Duchy of Savoy had in fact decided to join the League of Augusta (a union of England, the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, Spain, Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire against Louis XIV's France) despite lacking adequate forces; a mistaken move that allowed Catinat's troops to have the upper hand over Italian troops and expand throughout Piedmont, crossing the Susa Valley.

The towns traversed by the French soldiers were sacked, the castles of San Giorio, Villar Dora and Rivoli stormed, and that of Avigliana was almost completely destroyed, with the aim of preventing its defensive use in the future. Catinat's expedition then continued with the conquest of Nice, much of transalpine Savoy, and the occupation of the Piedmontese towns of Carmagnola, Rivoli, Saluzzo, Savigliano, and Fossano.

After abandoning the war campaigns, Catinat retired to the village of Saint-Gratien, where he died on February 12, 1712. New Savoy forts were built in strategic locations, such as the fort of Exilles, so only the outline of Avigliana Castle remained. The alpine location above Fenestrelle where Catinat and his army spent the winter of 1693 is still called Pra Catinat.