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Brescia (Lombard: Breha) is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is finely situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 190,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital Milan. The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with about 1,200,000 inhabitants. The ancient city of Brixia, Brescia has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times and a number of Roman and medieval monuments are preserved, among which is the prominent castle. The city is at the centre of the third-largest Italian industrial area, concentrating on mechanical and automotive engineering and machine tools. Its companies are typically small or medium- sized enterprises, often with family managements. The financial sector is also a major employer, and the tourist industry is important as well, given the proximity of Lake Garda, Lake Iseo and the Alps.
The plan of the city is rectangular, and the streets intersect at right angles, a peculiarity handed down from Roman times, though the area enclosed by the medieval walls is larger than that of the Roman town, which occupied the eastern portion of the present one. The Piazza del Museo marks the site of the forum, and the museum on its north side is ensconced in a Corinthian temple with three cellae, by some attributed to Hercules, but more probably the Capitolium of the city, erected by Vespasian in A.D. 73 (if the inscription really belongs to the building; cf. Th. Mommsen in Corp. Inscrip. Lat. v. No. 4312, Berlin, 1872), and excavated in 1823. It contains a famous bronze statue of Victory, found in 1826. Scanty remains of a building on the south side of the forum, called the curia, but which may be a basilica, and of the theatre, on the east of the temple, still exist.
Brescia contains many interesting medieval buildings. The castle, at the north-east angle of the town, commands a fine view. It is now a military prison. The old cathedral is a round domed structure of the 10th (?) century erected over an early Christian basilica, which has forty-two ancient columns; and the Broletto, adjoining the new cathedral (a building of 1604) on the north, is a massive building of the 12th and 13th centuries (the original town hall, now the prefecture and law courts), with a lofty tower. There are also remains of the convent of S. Salvatore, founded by Desiderius, king of Lombardy, including three churches, two of which now contain the fine medieval museum, which possesses good ivories. The church of S. Francesco has a Gothic façade and cloisters. There are also some good Renaissance palaces and other buildings, including the Municipio, begun in 1492 and completed by Jacopo Sansovino in 1554-1574. This is a magnificent structure, with fine ornamentation. The church of S. Maria dei Miracoli (1488-1523) is also noteworthy for its general effect and for the richness of its details, especially of the reliefs on the façade. Many other churches, and the picture gallery (Galleria Martinengo), contain fine works of the painters of the Brescian school, Alessandro Bonvicino (generally known as Moretto), Girolamo Romanino and Moretto's pupil, Giovanni Battista Moroni. The Biblioteca Queriniana contains early MSS., a 14th-century MS. of Dante, &c., and some rare incunabula. The city is well supplied with water, and has no less than seventy-two public fountains. The stone quarries of Mazzano, 8 miles east of Brescia, supplied material for the monument to Victor Emmanuel II. and other buildings in Rome.
For the ecclesiastical history, see Bishopric of Brescia
Different mythological versions of the foundation of Brescia exist: one assign it to Hercules, while another says that it was created as Altilia ("the other Ilium") by a fugitive from the siege of Troy. According to a further one, the founder was the king of the Ligures Cidnus, who had invaded the Padan Plain in the late Bronze Age. Other scholars attribute the foundation to the Etruscans. Invaded by the Gauls Cenomani, allied of the Insubri, in the 4th century BCE, it became their capital; the city bcame Roman in 225 B.C., when the Cenomani submitted to Rome. During the Carthaginian Wars Brixia was usually allied of the Romans: in 202 BCE it was part of a Celt confederation against them, but, after a secret agreement, changed side and attacked by surprise the Insubri, destroying them. Subsequently the city and the tribe entered peacefully in the Roman world as a faithful allied, maintaining a certain administrative freedom. In 89 BCE it was recognized as civitas ("city") and in 41 BCE received the Roman citizenship. Augustus founded a civil (not a military) colony here in 27 B.C., and he and Tiberius constructed an aqueduct to supply it. The Roman Brixia had at least three temples, an aqueduct, an amphitheater, a forum with a further temple built under Vespasianus, and some baths.
When Constantine advanced against Maxentius in 312, an engagement took place at Brescia in which the enemy was forced to retreat as far as Verona. In 402 the city was ravaged by the Visigoths of Alaric I. During the invasion of the Huns under Attila, the city was again besieged and sacked (452) while, some forty years later, it was one of the first conquests of the Goth general Theoderic the Great in his war against Odovacer.
In 568 or 569 Brescia was occupied by the Lombards, who made it the capital of one of their semi-independent duchies. First duke was one Alachis, who died in 573. Later dukes included the future king Rotharis and Rodoald, and Alachis II, a fervent anti-Catholic who was killed in the batte of Cornate d'Adda (688). The last king of the Lombard, Desiderius, had been also duke of Brescia. In 774 Charlemagne captured the city and ended the existence of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy.
Notingus was the first (prince-)bishop (in 844) who bore the title of Count (see Bishopric of Brescia). Later the power of the bishop as imperial representative was gradually defied by the local citizens and nobles, Brescia becoming a free commune around the early 12th century. Subsequently it expanded in the nearby countryside, first at the expenses of the local landholders, and later against the neighbouring communes, notably Bergamo and Cremona. Brescia defeated the latter two times at Pontoglio, and then at the Grumore (mid-12th century) and in the battle of the Malamorte (1192).
In the successive struggles between the Lombard cities and the emperors, Brescia was implicated in some of the leagues and in all of the uprisings against them. In the Battle of Legnano the contingent from Brescia was the second in size after that of Milan. The Peace of Constance (1183) that ended the war with Frederick Barbarossa confirmed officially the free status of the commune. Memorable is also the siege laid to Brescia by the emperor Frederick II in 1238 on account of the part taken by this city in the battle of Cortenova (27 November, 1237). Brescia came through this assault victorious. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen, republican institutions declined at Brescia as in the other free cities and the leadership was contested between powerful families, chief among them the Maggi and the Brusati, the latter of the (pro-imperial, anti-papal) Ghibelline party. In 1258 it fell into the hands of Eccelino of Verona.
In 1311 Emperor Henry VII laid siege to Brescia for six months, losing three-fourths of his army. Later the Scaligeri of Verona, aided by the exiled Ghibellines, sought to place Brescia under subjection. The citizens of Brescia then recoursed to John of Luxemburg, but Mastino II della Scala expelled the governor appointed by him. His mastery was soon contested by the Visconti of Milan, but not even their rule was undisputed, as Pandolfo Malatesta in 1406 took possession of the city, but in 1416 bartered it to Filippo Maria Visconti, who in 1426 sold it to the Venetians. The Milanese nobles forced Filippo to resume hostilities against the Venetians, and thus to attempt the recovery of this city, but he was defeated in the battle of Maclodio (1427), near Brescia. In 1439 Brescia was once more besieged by Francesco Sforza, captain of the Venetians, who defeated Niccolò Piccinino, Filippo's condottiero. Thenceforward Brescia acknowledged the authority of Venice, with the exception of the years between 1512 and 1520, when it was occupied by the French armies under Gaston de Foix. Early in the 16th century it was one of the wealthiest cities of Lombardy, but has never recovered from its sack by the French. It subsequently shared the fortunes of the Venetian republic until 1796, when it came under Austrian dominion.
After the end of the Napoleonic era, Brescia was annexed to the Austrian puppet state called Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. Brescia revolted in 1848. It distinguished again for the revolt called the Ten Days of Brescia (march 1849), for which the poet Giosuè Carducci called it "Leonessa d'Italia" ("Italian Lionesse"), being the only Lombard town to rally to Charles Albert in the latter year; but was taken after ten days' obstinate street fighting by the Austrians under Haynau.
In 1769 the city was devastated when the Church of San Nazaro was struck by lightning. The resulting fire ignited 200,000 lb (90,000 kg) of gunpowder being stored there, causing a massive explosion which destroyed one sixth of the city and killed 3,000 people.
Brescia was annexed to Italy in 1859.
The city was awarded a Gold Medal for its resistance against Fascism, in the late World War II.
On May 28, 1974, it was the seat of the bloody Piazza della Loggia bombing.
Brescia is the start and the arrival of the historical car race Mille Miglia that takes place every year in May. It is also the home of Brescia Calcio football club and Rugby Leonessa 1928.
<gallery> Image:Centro_di_Brescia.jpg|Sight of the city center Image:CrystalPalace_Brescia.JPG|Crystal Palace, Brescia Image:Cathedral_01_Brescia.JPG|Old and New Cathedrals in Brescia Image:Brescia_Foro_Romano1.jpg|Capitol Hill Temple in Brescia Image:Brescia_Foro_Romano2.jpg|Capitol Hill Temple, Brescia Image:Dehio 7 Brescia Rotonda.jpg|Plant of La Rotonda (Cathedral) </gallery>