Mevania

About

Bevagna, known in antiquity as Mevania, was an important Umbrian city on the Via Flaminia, between Carsulae and Fulginium. The ancient settlement lay on the bank of the river Timia [ it ] in an open and fertile valley stretching from the vicinity of Spoleto to the Tiber, separating the main Apennine chain from the ranges that extend toward Todi and Amelia. Classical authors including Columella, Silius Italicus and Lucan refer to the fertility of this region.

Before the Roman conquest, Mevania was a significant centre; in 308 BC Umbrian forces were stationed here when the consul Fabius advanced against them. In the Roman imperial period the city continued to flourish: Strabo mentions it among the strongest Umbrian cities, and Pliny records that it was enclosed by brick walls. The Antonine Itinerary and the Itinerary of Vicarello list Mevania as a mansio (station) on the Via Flaminia. Pliny also notes that the territory, the Mevanias ager, produced a particular prized wine called Irtia. Inscriptions indicate that the city belonged to the tribus Aemilia and that its municipal magistracies included quattuorviri.

The Clitunno was regarded as a major feature of the ancient city: it is described as extremely abundant in water and navigable with boats in two tiers. Near the confluence of the Topino with the Clitunno there was a kind of harbor, also mentioned in the Acts of Saint Vincent the Martyr, the patron of Bevagna, in connection with his attempted drowning at the harbour of Mevania.

In the 6th century the city suffered serious damage during barbarian incursions.

After the 11th century Bevagna became a free municipality with a self-governing system headed by consuls. In 1249 Pope Innocent IV granted the community the right to choose its chief magistrate. In November of the same year, in the context of Frederick II 's claim to the Duchy of Spoleto, Bevagna was besieged by the imperial vicar Thomas I of Aquino, Count of Acerra, and the city was badly damaged.

The city later rose again through the efforts attributed to the Blessed Giacomo of Bevagna, who rallied the dispersed inhabitants and encouraged the rebuilding of the walls on a more modest scale, sufficient to protect the families who had returned.

Between 1371 and 1439 Bevagna was under the lordship of the Trinci family of Foligno. In 1439 Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi returned the territory to the direct rule of the Holy See.

From 1503 to 1519 Bevagna was under the government of Perugia, and in 1519 governance passed to a succession of lifetime governors appointed directly by the Holy See.

From 1562 to 1566 Bevagna was under the authority of the governor of Spoleto, Cardinal Charles Borromeo. In 1567 Pope Pius V placed it under the immediate authority of the Holy See and appointed Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici as lifetime governor.

On 10 May 1798, under the territorial-division law of the Roman Republic, Bevagna was assigned to the Canton of Spello in the Department of Clitunno [ it ]. In early August 1799 Neapolitan troops ended the republic. On 8 August 1799 Liberato Giorgi was named governor.

During the period of the French Empire, Bevagna was assigned to the district of Foligno in the Department of Trasimeno. On 14 May 1814 the Papal government was restored, with Liberato Giorgi, Filippo Angeli Nieri, and Cortese Bartoli acting as provisional regents, while Sandro Oleandri, a lawyer, served as provisional governor.

In 1825 Pope Leo XII granted Bevagna the title of city. The town was damaged by earthquakes in 1832.

In the mid-19th century the town had 4,024 inhabitants. Of these, 2,087 lived within the built-up area and 1,937 in the rural district. In 1860 Bevagna joined the Kingdom of Italy, within the Province of Umbria.

Bevagna, known in antiquity as Mevania, was an important Umbrian city on the Via Flaminia, between Carsulae and Fulginium. The ancient settlement lay on the bank of the river Timia [ it ] in an open and fertile valley stretching from the vicinity of Spoleto to the Tiber, separating the main Apennine chain from the ranges that extend toward Todi and Amelia. Classical authors including Columella, Silius Italicus and Lucan refer to the fertility of this region.

Before the Roman conquest, Mevania was a significant centre; in 308 BC Umbrian forces were stationed here when the consul Fabius advanced against them. In the Roman imperial period the city continued to flourish: Strabo mentions it among the strongest Umbrian cities, and Pliny records that it was enclosed by brick walls. The Antonine Itinerary and the Itinerary of Vicarello list Mevania as a mansio (station) on the Via Flaminia. Pliny also notes that the territory, the Mevanias ager, produced a particular prized wine called Irtia. Inscriptions indicate that the city belonged to the tribus Aemilia and that its municipal magistracies included quattuorviri.

The Clitunno was regarded as a major feature of the ancient city: it is described as extremely abundant in water and navigable with boats in two tiers. Near the confluence of the Topino with the Clitunno there was a kind of harbor, also mentioned in the Acts of Saint Vincent the Martyr, the patron of Bevagna, in connection with his attempted drowning at the harbour of Mevania.

In the 6th century the city suffered serious damage during barbarian incursions.

After the 11th century Bevagna became a free municipality with a self-governing system headed by consuls. In 1249 Pope Innocent IV granted the community the right to choose its chief magistrate. In November of the same year, in the context of Frederick II 's claim to the Duchy of Spoleto, Bevagna was besieged by the imperial vicar Thomas I of Aquino, Count of Acerra, and the city was badly damaged.

The city later rose again through the efforts attributed to the Blessed Giacomo of Bevagna, who rallied the dispersed inhabitants and encouraged the rebuilding of the walls on a more modest scale, sufficient to protect the families who had returned.

Between 1371 and 1439 Bevagna was under the lordship of the Trinci family of Foligno. In 1439 Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi returned the territory to the direct rule of the Holy See.