SANTO STEFANO ROERO
S.STEFANO ROERO – HISTORY
Some archeological finds testify of Liguria, Roman and Lombard settlements in the zone. A document dated 1065 certifies the donation of some possessions infra castro de Sancti Stefani" from Adelaide of Susa to the Church of Asti. This document is important, since it indicates how already then existed a castle with an embedded church within the fence.
In 1153 the bishop invests with the title of lordship the Biandrate counts, his followers, which acquire also Monteu. The Biandrate then aligned them with Astisio and Alba and, in 1217, erected a tower, fallen in 2002. Then, they associated with the Angiò family, but in 1290 they had been finally defeated by Asti. In 1299, the lordship has been acquired by Roero family, that at that time was arranged in many branches, of which one was the Pralormo town which kept its quote up to the end of ‘700, when the feudal prerogatives were abolished. The principal part of that quote has been ceded in 1747 from Baldassarre Michele Roero, of the Monteu branch of the family, to the bishop of Asti, who in turn ceded it to the Gromis of Trana family.
POINT OF INTERESTS AND CURIOSITY
THE ROCCHE
An unusual geological phenomenon due to the erosion which dated back to time immemorial but still continues nowadays and influences the life of man. In S.Stefano Roero, the Rocche are the most typical landscape element: wild and structured as a labyrinth, with an origin always linked more to the myth than to the science. A naturalistic heritage which can be discovered thanks to the Trails Network of Roero: ring routes which deepen the themes of the local cultural identity.
CHURCHES
The parish church, dedicated to S. Maria del Podio, cited in 1315 as “oratory” which replaced the more ancient S.Stefano in this site, has been reconstructed within 1662 and 1668. The church has been restored after the damages due to the earthquake happened in 1887, with a reconstruction of the vault and the modification of the lateral chapels. Inside, it can be noticed the three altars with wood-made ancones and columns, in particular the one of S.Stefano, which is profusely engraved.
The Church of S. Bernardino, or of white disciplinants, (‘battuti’), situated close to the parish church; it has been mentioned at the end of the sixteenth century to be in front of the parish house and it has been reconstructed in the actual site with baroque lines in 1729.
THE VANISHED TOWER
Up to 2002 an high squared tower stand over the top of the Rocca that soars above the historical center. The tower was erected by Biandrate family in 1217 and was placed side by side with a church house dedicated to S.Stefano (mentioned in 1065 and from which the town took the name), with an annexed cemetery. In 1841 it has been donated to the Municipality from the original proprietors (Beraudo of Pralormo, Carron of St-Thomas, Faussone of Clavesana) In 1887 a notable part of the north-east edge fell down after the earthquake: in order to avoid risks of collapses, some years ago it has been dramatically reduced to some meters height, that anyway atmospheric agents and friability of the rocks has made collapsed in the beneath chasm in the night of 27 December 2002.
