RE: Barbavara Ciphers
Mark Knowles > 8 hours ago
From the guide book "L'abbazIa dI San nazzaro Sesia guida aI percorsi architettonici e fIguratIvI a cura di Massimiliano Caldera e Valeria Moratti con la collaborazione di Samuel Beltrame" and translated into English it says about Antonio Barbavara->
"Antonio Barbavara was then abbot, governing it from April 28, 1429, to 1466, ending a long period of political instability. Appointed by papal bull by Pope Martin V, he was an excellent administrator as well as a good diplomat of vast culture, endowed with the common sense necessary to resolve legal issues. Originally from an important Lombard family close to the Viscontis, he was the son of Nicolino, the last Visconti podestà of Vercelli, brother of the first count of Gravellona Lomellina, uncle of the bishop of Tortona. He had previously been abbot of Santa Giustina di Sezzadio (in the diocese of Acqui, today in the province of Alessandria), before being called by Pope Martin V to San Nazzaro, where he remained until his death. His election is certainly to be considered linked to political maneuvers by the Lombard dukes, given that, as evidenced by documents, his brother Giacomo drew up his will in favor of his children in 1452 in San Nazzaro, remembering and citing them not only by name but also by the positions they held within the ducal court, demonstrating that they were all related, in various capacities, to the Visconti family. Another sign of the abbot's importance occurred in 1448, when Francesco Sforza besieged Novara and dictated peace terms to the city and the Novara area; the duke was in fact forced to recognize the abbot of San Nazzaro's rights, the only exception in the entire territory. We also have a physical description of Barbavara, given to us by contemporary testimonies: he was a "homo pinguis, niger et mediocris stature," that is, fat, dark, and of medium height. In the cloister and in the church it is still possible to see the family's coat of arms, a white castle with two towers, in memory of the derivation from the Castello family. The abbot is buried in the church itself, as recalled by the funerary inscription. Sesia at that time was the state border between the Lombard duchy and the Savoy possessions; On this side of the Sesia, bordering San Nazzaro, were Recetto and Cassinale, possessions of the Arborio family, loyal to the Savoy, while the territory to the south was divided between Novara and Vercelli. San Nazzaro thus emerged as a Milanese wedge in Savoy lands, a fact which gave rise to its strategic importance as well as the attention paid to it by the dukes.
During Barbavara's reign, many works were carried out to improve the agricultural landscape: new crops were introduced, the surrounding lands were reclaimed, the ancient water rights of the Sesia were restored, and the land was repopulated with new plants. He was also responsible for strengthening the existing castle with towers and crenellated walls; the tower in particular was used as a place of detention, a role previously performed by the castle. The abbey church, the cloister, and the chapter house were renovated. The abbot also built his personal residence, as well as a tower with a ravelin above and in front of the western entrance gate. This construction allowed the abbots to live in noble style, offering hospitality to illustrious ladies and knights. In fact, the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, lived here twice with his court, shortly before his death in Milan on 26 December 1476. Attics and storerooms allowed the structure to also be used as a warehouse for agricultural supplies; agriculture was one of the interests to which the abbot devoted himself tirelessly, as an excellent administrator. The products of these lands were wheat, grapes, millet, rye, and beans. The new duke, Francesco Sforza, favorably impressed by the perfect organization of the place, reconfirmed the jurisdictional rights of the monastery. The contract specifications for the reconstruction of the hospital of Sant'Andrea in Vercelli, dated 4 September 1461, allow us to know something more about the work carried out during the abbot's presence. It is interesting to note that it was Antonio Barbavara himself, whom we have often mentioned for his role at the abbey, who urged the necessary restorations and expansions to the Vercelli hospital after a visit in 1456. Upon Barbavara's death, the abbey was granted in commendam by the Pope to members of the Roman Curia; among them the Arcimboldi, the Fieschi, the Spinola, the Sforza, the Confalonieri and many others who, however, rarely lived there."
(My research has shown that some of the information about Antonio Barbavara in this book is in correct. Specifically the precise family tree provided here is contradicted by other evidence. I doubt he was ever Abbot in Sezzadio, my research points to him training to be Podesta of Alessandria with property in the area of Sezzadio and growing up with the Ghilini family.)