STANPA

An inhabited area since the Bronze age (stations along the Sile, south of the city), the roman Tarvisium, part of the Claudia tribe, became a "municipium" some time between 49 B.C., the date when citizenship was conceded, and the 1st Century A.D.

The dominion of Treviso occupied the plain north of the city, between the Montello hill and the river Piave.

Unscathed by the passage of Attila, the city began to florish under the Goths and the Longobards, who turned it into a duchy. During the Carolingian domain it became the capital of a Mark and possessed a blooming mint during the 9th Century.

The City, devastated by the Huns towards 911, was by then drafting its communal orders, which were recognised in 1164 by Barbarossa. It was under the Empire's favour but at the same time adhered to the Veronese League, then to the Lombard League, fought at Legnano and partecipated in the Constance peace treaty.

It was then that the City's most glorious period commenced. Its domain was extended, the city was enriched, became more prosperous, was visited by poets and storytellers, held knightly feasts (the most famous of which was the feast of the Castle of Love) that gave it the name of "Marca gioiosa et amorosa" (Joyful and loving Mark).

In 1237 the city fell under the tyranny of Ezzelino and Alberico da Romano. Upon their death it was freed once again, but soon after came the disputes between Ghibellines and Guelphs. The captain of the Guelphs, Gherardo da Camino, became lord of the city in 1283 and governed it in such a manner that his valour and courtesy earned him fame (Dante mentions him in the Purgatory, chant XVI, 124 and fol.).

Treviso was afterwards dominated by the counts of Gorizia and other imperial vicars; in 1328 it was ruled by the Scaliger family until 1339, when it was acquired by Venice. In 1381 it passed under the rule of Leopold of Austria who sold it to the Carraresi of Padua in 1384. The Visconti then conquered the city and held it until 1389, when the trevigiani joined spontaneously the Republic of Venice, who offered a lengthy and prosperous peace in exchange for faithfulness from Treviso.

The city followed the destiny of the Serenissima Repubblica until 1797 when it fell under the power of Napoleon's armed forces. The city then passed under the rule of Austria and then of the Italic Kingdom (1805) and then back under Austria (1813).

In 1848 it followed Venice in the revolution against the Austrians, but on the 14th of June it had to surrender.

Finally on the 15th of July, 1866 the Italian Bersaglieri (light infantry) entered the city.

It suffered air bombings during the First World War, and more during the Second World War when American heavy bombing caused thousands of victims, destroying many public buildings and monuments of great historical and artistic interest.

Certain stone tablets have inscribed on them the name of the municipium Tarvisium; but what is the etymology of the word?

We prefer, amongst the many, two possible meanings: the first comes from the Celtic word Tarvos (bull) plus the Latin desinence -isium, thus Tarvisium; the other from the name of the Illyrian Protovenetian and Aeneolithic tribe that first inhabited the area.

Therefore the name would not come from the "tres vici" (three villages) upon which Treviso is supposed to have been built or from the meaning of the word Trevisi (three faces) because this word appeared only during the Middle Ages.

For this reason the three-faced figure placed in front of the Town Hall in 1958 seems to be only for show.

Early signs of a settling, in the area that is today's historical town centre of Treviso, originate from around the end of the 2nd millennium B.C.

A mass of human bones has been found In Treviso, near St. Antonino, mixed with elk bones, containing also interesting bronze remains (rings, axes, etc.).

Due to these populations' habit of keeping the cemeteries nearby the village, it is likely that their village was inside a triangle bordered by the Cagnan and Sile rivers, more precisely on the natural bank of St. Andrea, later artificially heightened and turned into a fort.

This then would be the oldest part of Treviso, together with the site of the Cathedral, as proven by some crocks, surely from the Bronze Age, made of dark brown clay not properly kilned.

Documents from the Paleolithic Age are missing, but there are some, very few, from the Neolithic (4500 to 3000 B.C.) and Eneolithic Ages. (The Eneolithic Age findings come from activities carried out during the Stone Age and the Bronze Age: from 3000 to 1800 B.C.)

Neolithic populations, who stored crops and foodstuffs in earthenware urns, were present in Treviso.

During the 3rd millennium, with some delay compared to other regions, copper-working spread into Italy and towards 2000 B.C. also bronze-working. The use of copper in Treviso was scarce, probably due to lack of raw material.

Bronze appeared in Treviso at the beginning of the 2nd millennium (from 1800 to 1000 B.C.). Axes, daggers, sickles and later swords were made from bronze.

The official entrance of the Veneto people into the Roman Empire took place first with the Lex Pompeia in 89 B.C., which granted "Latin right" citizenship: "Lating right" gave the right to marry and trade with Roman citizens (ius connubii and ius commercii) together with the possibility, after transferral to Rome, to obtain Roman citizenship.

With the Lex Roscia in 49 B.C., Julius Caesar extended Roman citizenship to the Cisalpines; with the citizenship one could vote or be elected to public office. This was followed by the removal of the condition of "province".

The border was moved to the Arsa (Istria). The Alpes Venetae were renamed Juliae. Many colonies were transformed into Municipiums. The word Municipium comes from the Latin "munus capere" which means "assuming the obligations" (as a Roman citizen).

The creation of the municipium Tarvisanum in this period is proven by various inscriptions.

The figure is quite interesting: a drawing, published by Avogaro, of a stone tablet where a freedman of the Municipium of Tarvisium, Lucius Publicius Eutiches, is mentioned. The tablet went missing towards the year 1810.

The cult of the Egyptian queen Isis was widespread by the Roman legionaries that had been to the oriental regions of the Empire, so much that, after beeing banned for a period, it was legalized in 19 A.D.

The citizens of Treviso were part of one of 35 tribes: the Claudians.

A stone tablet contains the names of four "Seviri" who layed and paved (via cum crepidinibus) a street that went from the Quadruvium (intersection between the cardium and the decumanus) to the walls along the Sile river.

This road can be identified as the Calmaggiore (once "callis maior") of which the remains can be seen under the Marzą shop in direction N-W.

This is the meaning of what is written, in irregular but legible and clear Latin characters, in the stone tablet in the figure, discovered in 1760 when the Cathedral was being rebuilt; a copy is fixed to the steeple next to the church.

The Seviri were the six magistrates in charge of public building, justice, etc.

The Romans' first step, after their victory over the Gauls that had attempted several times to penetrate into Italy, was the creation of the Gallia Cisalpina province and the foundation of the colony of Aquileia in 181 B.C.

The foundation of a colony in a conquered territory meant the arrival in the new city and its territory of Roman settlers, usually ex soldiers, who were given lots of land to cultivate.

The colonization process covered the whole of Veneto, city after city, and meant also the building of long important roads. Both actions, by inserting the Roman culture into the territory, aimed at consolidating the conquest of the area and allowed for the diffusion of the Roman civilization into the Paleo-veneto world. The roads had not just military and commercial uses but were also roads for the transmission of culture.

During the years 150-70 B.C. important roads were built, such as the Postumia (Genoa - Aquileia), the Aurelia (Padua - Asolo) and the Annia (Adria - Aquileia). Treviso was however left out and did not have the same thriving development as the nearby cities, situated near to these roads such as Opitergium and Aquileia.

Treviso's main communication way was the Sile river, connecting the city to Altino and the Adriatic sea.

It is historically plausible that the Christian religion was introduced in Veneto towards the end of the 1st Century by some legionaries upon their return from Asia. Soon after it started to obtain followers in Treviso and became consolidated towards the 4th Century, after the Constantinople edict.

The deeds of the first Saints honoured in the city date from the 4th Century: St. Liberale (see figure) who died in 434 on an island in the lagoon of Venice, and the Saints Teonisto, Tabra and Tabrato, were martyred towards the end of the 4th Century.

The bodies of these three martyrs, first buried in Altino, were taken, during the invasion of the Huns, to Treviso where they are still honoured in the Cathedral, next to the body of the Patron, who has been represented for the past centuries as a young knight holding a flag or a cross shield.

Historically the figure originates as a military commander from Altino who, between the 4th and 5th Centuries imposed the Christian cult and repressed the traditional pagan rites, following an edict issued by the Roman emperor Theodosius in 391. The Saint is represented according to the Middle Age iconography.

From several medieval traditions it seems that the Christian faith entered Treviso towards 50 A.D. by hand of the Saint Bishop of Padua, Prosdocimo, who is responsible for the mass conversion of the pagan inhabitants of the area between the Brenta and Piave rivers. St. Peter sent Prosdocimo to Padua, whilst he sent St. Mark to Aquileia and St. Apollinare to Ravenna.

This is probably just a legend as it is not plausible that the new faith could have conquered all these people in such a short time.

Ordered by St. Prosdocimo, the first Christian church of the area, the antique basilica dedicated to St. Peter, stood near the modern Cathedral. There are no more remains of this church nor of the church of St. Sofia built in the same place towards the 4th Century. In the Cathedral there is, however, St. Prosdocimo's sacellum.

Following the killing of the Bishop's brother in 1268 by Gherardo dei Castelli, the Commune was guided by the noble families of the Azzoni and the Avogaro, friends of Gherardo Da Camino, Captain of Feltre and Belluno. Gherardo Da Camino took advantage of the uncertainty that reigned in the city and secretely entered Treviso taking control. The city council named him Captain General, in practice the absolute lord of Treviso.

This led to the birth of a rule, defined by historians as absolute, but just and wise. Da Camino maintained an excellent relationship with Venice and gave hospitality to men of letters and artists (amongst others Dante Alighieri), together with numerous "masters of art", in charge of building the Churches of St. Nicolas, St. Francis and the Palace of the Commune. He also took care of and improved the hygienic conditions of the city, promoted the construction of roads and bridges, issued precise standards concerning the quality of food and provisions, improved the relationships between secular and religious people and gave great care to the Study or University, that obtained its greatest splendour under his rule.

The dominion of the Republic of Venice started towards the end of the 14th Century for Treviso as it did for the other cities of the Veneto.

In 1509 Venice wanted to turn Treviso into a stronghold for the defence of its territories that were being menaced by a coalition of European powers led by the Cambrai League.

The war events with the Cambrai Confederates precipitated and whilst many Venetian cities fell under enemy control, Treviso, which remained faithful to Venice, was transformed in a short period of time into a stronghold.

All the population contributed to the transport of construction materials, which often originated from rubble, to raise the ramparts for absorbing the blows delivered by the artillery.

To contrast the evolving military techinques and artillery, it was necessary to prepare large scale defences. The obsolete medieval walls were demolished, together with whole parts of the city, such as churches and palaces (the tower houses were lowered or demolished), for providing building material.

All buildings within 500 paces (approx. 800 metres) around the town walls were demolished, including the monasteries. This operation was called "levelling". Sowing and growing crops was forbidden. In order to stop the setting up of enemy artillery all reliefs were levelled. To carry out this defence system an architect and hydraulic engineer, Giovanni da Verona, (also known as Fra' Giocondo), was sent by Venice, due to his inspiration towards the new concept of the renaissance fortifications art.

Once the most impending danger had passed, Fra' Giocondo developed the hydraulic works to implement a complex system of dykes or bobstays for adjusting the water level in the ditches and moats. The raised level of the Sile upstream from the city and the level of the Botteniga in the external ditches would have flooded the surrounding countryside thereby isolating the city.

The final arrangement of the fort city, together with the extensions of the St.Thomas and Santi Quaranta suburbs is attributed to the captain Bartolomeo d'Alviano (1513).

He carried out radical changes: the territory and nature became "objects" modified by man.