Basilica of San Rufillo.
is a town and
comune in the
Province of Forlì-Cesena, northern
Italy. It is located on the
Via Emilia between
Cesena and
Forlì.
History
The name of Forlimpopoli derives from the
Roman Forum Popili, most likey connected to the consul
Publius Popilius Laenas, who would found it in
132 BC. Its ares has been however inhabited since
Palaeolithic times, as proved by recent archaeological discoveries. Later it was settled by the
Umbri and the
Gauls from the
Pianura Padana. In the 1st century BC
Forum Popili become a
municipium, and flourished to its vicinity to the important port of
Classis (for which it provided
amphorae for wine transport), having also a strong agricultural production.
It started to decay from the 3rd century AD, and, as in the High Middle Age the area became marshy, its agricultural output crumbled down. In this period it was part of the
Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna and had its first Catholic bishop in the 5th century; over his sepulchre, outside the town, a Benedictine monastery was founded. In the 7th century Forlimpopoli was ravaged by the
Lombard king
Grimoald; in the following century it fell under
Papal rule. Later the city started to grow again with the foundation of another burgh, the
Civitas Nova, and with the communal autonomy.
In the 13th century it became a fief of the
Ordelaffi family from
Forlì. Their expansion was momentarily halted by the Papal reconquest by Cardinal
Gil de Albornoz who, in 1361, ordered the destruction of Forlimpopoli due to its loyalty to the Ordelaffi. A chronicles of ten years later states that the town was no more in existence, the bishopric having been moved to
Bertinoro, and the cathedral having been replaced by a fortress, the current
Rocca. A few years later
Sinibaldo Ordelaffi, now in peaceful terms with the Popes, had the town rebuilt with the construction of a line of walls. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was a possession of several families, such as the Riario and
Cesare Borgia. In 1535 it was given back to the Papal States, who assigned it in turn as a fief to the Zampeschi family, followed by the
Savelli and the Cardinal Capponi. A direct Papal authority was restored after the
Napoleonic Wars.
Castle of Forlimpopoli.
Main sights
An imposing and very well conserved castle from the 16th century lies in the centre of the town. It is housing the local government, the archeological museum, a theatre and the music school.
Outside the town is the Sanctuary of
Santa Maria delle Grazie di Fornò, one of the most notable circular plan churches in Italy (late 15th century). It houses two works by
Agostino di Duccio. The basilica of
San Rufillo was built in the 6th century but it is now a more recent reconstruction; it houses two canvasses by
Luca Longhi and
Francesco Menzocchi, and the tomb of
Brunoro II Zempeschi, lord of Forlimpopoli.
The church of the
Servi (mid-15th century) has a painting by
Marco Palmezzano.
Culture
The "Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli" was founded by the commune of Forlimpopoli and is now carried by an association of teachers and students. The main focus of teaching is the traditional folk music of the region. The music school has a supra-regional importance. In cooperation with the academy
Burg Fürsteneck in Germany and the Eric Sahlström Institutet in Sweden it developed the .
Twinned cities
Notable people
