CIVIDALE DEL FRIULI. – Roman remains and, in particular, inscriptions (which do not seem to have been transported from elsewhere) speak of a community under the name of Forum Iulii; the region of Friuli subsequently took its name from II. The site, situated on the Natisone, became the seat of the Lombard frontier duchy as soon as Alboin, having crossed the upper valley of the Isonzo, entered Italy (569).
Epic legends collected by Paolo Diacono in his Historia Longobardorum recount the events involving C. and the duchy in the struggles against the Avars and the Slavs, who likewise wished to penetrate into Italy. At the beginning of the
8th century, C., by force of circumstances, became for some time the permanent seat of the patriarch of Aquileia.
When, after the Carolingian domination and that of the kings of Italy, the latter also concentrated feudal authority in himself with the powers of duke and count, C. became one of the most important communities, with its own statutes, market, and jurisdiction; however, after the Venetian conquest (1420), Udine prevailed over C. as the capital of Friuli. Pio Puschini
MONUMENTS. — Omitting the monuments of the classical age, one must proceed, in the absence of earlier vestiges, to those of the Lombard period. They tell us of Lombard necropolises (even recently, tombs from that period have been discovered) with weapons and also precious furnishings (gold sheet crosses: particularly important is the one with gem applications found in the monumental sarcophagus of a duke who may well have been Gisulfo of the early period of the duchy; the falsity of a graffito bearing this name has not in fact been proved).
As regards ecclesiastical archaeology, from the first half of the 8th century there remains something truly outstanding: the altar of Rachis, son of Duke Pemmone (it bears the inscription), formerly placed in the church of S. Giovanni near the baptistery of the Duomo (whose foundations were rediscovered), and the tegurium that stood above the font and was commissioned to be carved by the enterprising Patriarch Callisto (also bearing an inscription). The former has the Ascension on its front and the Adoration of the Magi and the Visitation on its sides; at the back are images of crosses and a Jenestella that stood over the reliquary opening. The latter has, in its archivolts, animal figures of a symbolic character and floral scrolls. These are works of rough but effective sculpture and include remnants of typically barbarian ornamentation. C. possesses a rich series of barbarian sculptures: plutei, gables of pierced screens, architraves, and capitals.
The finest example is perhaps the pluteus bearing the inscription of Patriarch Siguald (second half of the 8th century; a cross between candelabra, symbols of the Evangelists). From the subsequent period, dominated by the Franks, there survives a chapel of the utmost importance for the history of art: the “Lombard little temple” (the oratory of the convent for women founded by the Lombards), consisting of a hall covered by cross vaults and a choir divided into three parts by columns. On the entrance wall (with traces also on a side wall) there unfolds a singular ornamentation: the lunette above the door has a stucco frieze with a vine scroll and an outward radiating pattern resembling crossbows. In the upper register are six female saints in stucco, four of them crowned. Remains of a fresco with figures of martyrs complete the plastic decoration. Opinions concerning the date of these decorations vary considerably: some place them in the remote period of the early Middle Ages, others as late as the later Middle Ages. Recently they have been attributed to Ottonian art. It should probably be regarded as the product of Carolingian art, which nevertheless reflects a certain Byzantine influence (given the proximity of the territories ruled by Byzantium). The most probable date is therefore the 9th century.
The collegiate church was rebuilt beginning in 1457 (architect Bartolomeo dalle Cisterne), and Pietro Lombardo also contributed to it during the first half of the 16th century. Among the numerous treasures that adorn it, the silver altarpiece with the Madonna’s Assumption, donated by Patriarch Pellegrino III (1195–1204), stands out: it is a true masterpiece of Romanesque art. The church of SS. Pietro e Biagio, rebuilt toward the end of the 15th century, preserves the memories of three pre-existing oratories (partly preserved); one chapel contains interesting 14th-century frescoes (the Life of s. Biagio); the façade was entirely painted (1506–1508) by “Zuan de Toschanys” and “Paulo impentor”. The fine church of S. Francesco dates from the end of the 13th century; with its tall bell tower, it dominates the picturesque ravine of rocks at the bottom of which the Natisone flows.
Many other distinguished works of religious art (miniatures, sacred vessels, textiles, etc.) are collected for the most part in the treasury of the Collegiate Church and in the Museum.