Aiming to consolidate his power throughout Tuscany,
Duke Cosimo I dei Medici pursued a promotional policy of great public
works throughout his long reign. Among these projects and for obvious
reasons, defense construction was given absolute priority; in fact,
in this period, many of the fortresses in the lands belonging to
the Tuscan Grand Duchy were built or strengthened. The master architects
of these great works included, among others, Giuliano and Antonio
da Sangallo (
vs35), Giovanbattista
Bellucci and Bernardo Buontalenti. These last two were among the
most qualified architects in this sector and, in different moments
and with different solutions, they were responsible for the Renaissance
renovations of the old Pistoian fortress of Santa Barbara. Popular
legend which has been accepted by local historians says that in
medieval times the fortress - built by the Florentines in the first
half of the fourteenth century during the reconstruction of the
city walls (
vs8), was called
San Barnaba because of its vicinity to the Chapel dedicated to that
saint. Only later was it given the name of Santa Barbara.
During the Renaissance period the fortification was first enlarged,
with a project overseen by Bellucci who was responsible at that
time for redoing the city's entire defense system. Bellucci's work
was based on a project by the architect Nanni Unghero (
vs19)
who had planned a quadrilateral structure with bastions at the four
corners and a deep ditch running around the perimeter, with no decoration
of any sort. Later Bernardo Buontalenti incorporated this construction
into a new bastion connected to the city walls thus giving the fortress
the imposing look that it still has today. In all its history the
fortress has only undergone one attack, in the mid seventeenth century
when the Papal troops attacked Pistoia (
s.i.) but were held
back by its strong bastions.
At the end of the 1700s the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo decided to
disarm the fortress as part of his wide program of reform. Although
it lost is role as a fortification to defend the city, the Santa
Barbara fortress maintained its military function first as a barracks
then as a prison and an army administration headquarters. Today
important restoration projects are trying to redeem this great city
monument from its state of abandonment.
(n.) refers to the number of the file-card (si.) means see information
inside
The Barberini Attack of 1643
Alessio Gimignani, The Siege of Pistoia
There are two events that dramatically characterized
the history of Pistoia during the 16OOs: the plague of 1630 and,thirteen
years later, the attack by Papal troops. Maffeo Barberini, elected
Pope in 1643 with the name of Urban VII, was determined to strengthen
the Papal State and the prestige of his family. To achieve his
ends he did not spare the use of force as was demonstrated in
the battle that took place at Pistoia's gates during the war for
control over the Duchy of Castro. The Grand Duke of Tuscany had
sent troops to aid the Farnese from whorn the duchy had been usurped
to the advantage of the Barberini family; as revenge, the Barberini
attacked Tuscan lands. The battle of Pistoia on the night of October
3 was brief but bloody and ended in complete victory for the Pistoians
who distinguished themselves for their courage. As the chronicles
of that time recount, they defended their city without outside
aid, thanks to the intercession of the Virgin of Humility and
Saint Eulalia. Many pictoral versions of this episode have been
preserved among which the battle scene attributed to Alessio Gimignani
that hangs today in the Municipal Museum (
vs46).
