Cortemaggiore

Cortemaggiore
Comune
Comune di Cortemaggiore
Coat of arms
Motto: "Nihil sanctius quam recta fides cum sororibus associata" (Nothing is holier than a true faith combined with other virtues)
Cortemaggiore Location of Cortemaggiore in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Province / Metropolitan city	Province of Piacenza (PC)
Frazioni	Chiavenna Landi and San Martino in Olza
Government
• Mayor	Gianluigi Repetti (Casa delle Libertà)
Area
• Total	36 km2 (14 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population
• Total	4,345
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Cortemaggioresi or Magiostrini
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	29016
Dialing code	0523
Patron saint	San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence)
Saint day	August 10
Website	Comune di Cortemaggiore [1]

Cortemaggiore is an Italian comune located in the Province of Piacenza.

The town was founded in the 1479 by the Pallavicino family, over an old Roman habitation, which had been the capital of the ancient Stato Pallavicino.

Among the religious edifices in the town are the following:

• Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie or Collegiata, was once the cathedral of the town, and is still the main church of Cortemaggiore, built in Gothic style. The interior conserves a valued polyptych, composed by twelve pieces, by Filippo Mazzola, the father of Parmigianino.
• San Giovanni: church built in 1625-1630 and frescoed by Robert de Longe in 1705
• Annunziata (Church of the Annuncation): Built in 1487, it houses two works by Il Pordenone, an Immaculate Conception and a Deposition from the Cross. Next to the church, there is a monastery with a cloister of 40 metres on all sides.
• San Giuseppe built 1576-1593 by the brotherhood of San Giuseppe, and subsequently decorated by stuccoes by Bernardo Barca and Domenico Dossi in 1697-1701
• Oratory of San Lorenzo: Built in 1666.
• Oratory of San Giovanni: Started in 1625 by the confratenity of SS Sacramento.
• Santa Maria delle Grazie fuori le mura or Madonnina: Built by the priest Anotonio Bovarini in 1661.

In 1949 the Italian entrepreneur Enrico Mattei, discovers in Cortemaggiore's subsoil an important oilfield; with this oil was product a gasoline (the only one refined from Italian oil), called Supercortemaggiore.

In 1997 to Cortemaggiore was conferred the title of "Città d'Arte" (City of Art), a particular prize assigned to the most artistical interesting city.

The municipality's motto is "Nihil sanctius quam recta fides cum sororibus associata" (Nothing is holier than a true faith combined with other virtues).

Territory

Cortemaggiore is located in the northern Italy about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Milan and 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Bologna, in the zone of Italy called "Pianura Padana". The municipality borders with Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Villanova sull'Arda, Besenzone, San Pietro in Cerro, Caorso, Pontenure and Cadeo.

Born in Cortemaggiore

• Ranuccio II Farnese (1630–94), Duke of Parma and Piacenza.
• Lorenzo Respighi (1824–89), mathematician, philosopher.
• Giuseppe Manfredi (1828–1918), Patriot and President of the Italian Senate from 1908 to 1918, during the years of World War I.
• Franco Fabrizi (1926–95), actor.

• Snapshots
• Frati.JPG

  The façade of the Church "dell'Annunziata".

• Deposizione pordenone.JPG

  "The Deposition", by Il Pordenone.

• Immacolata concezione pordenone.JPG

  "The Blameless Conception", by Pordenone.

• Particolare pallavicino.JPG

  A view of the Pallavicino's private chapel in the church "dell'Annunziata".

• Chiostro.JPG

  The beautiful cloister of the church "dell'Annunziata".

• Madonnina corte.JPG

  The church "Santa Maria delle Grazie fuori la mura" or "Madonnina".

• San giovanni corte.JPG

  The oratory of "San Giovanni" (St. John).

• San giuseppe corte.JPG

  The church of "San Giuseppe" (St. Joseph).

• San lorenzo.JPG

  The Oratory of "San Lorenzo" (St. Lawrence).

• Vista corte.JPG

  A view of Cortemaggiore's downtown.