Visit Cormons
SAINT CATHERINE’S, better known as the ‘Mystical Rose Sanctuary’, is located in LARGO SCROSOPPI (next to Piazza Libertà) and is a very important Church for Believers. A statue of Mother Mary (Madonna), made by the Cormons’ artisan FRANCESCO REGOLA of which miraculous events are narrated. According to history, in 1723, the small statue of the Virgin Mary (the Mystical Rose) sweated and continued to sweat for more than 15 days. It is told that she moved her eyes and that there were many unexplained healings. A silver and gold rose, embedded with precious stones, was commissioned to be put it in the hands of the Virgin Mary. Two silver crowns, one for the Virgin Mary and one for baby Jesus, were donated by the Empress, Mary Theresa of Austria. A statue of Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg can be found on the small forecourt in front of the Church.
This is the second most important, 18th century building in Cormons, after Palazzo Locatelli (where the Town Hall is situated). Characterized by an elegant Baroque front, Palazzo Del Mestri overlooks the narrow Via Matteotti, developing in height with some distinctive elements, such as a large mask on the portal and the majestic coat of arms on top of the facade. Del Mestri was in fact a very important noble family in the history of Cremona, they also gave a Bishop to the city. In the large private courtyard, there are still ancient prisons.
The Cathedral of Cormons, dedicated to Saint Adalberto, is the main Church of Cormons. The impressive and majestic Cathedral, dominates the historical center of Cormons, from a slightly elevated position, and is accessed by a wide front staircase. In the entire diocese of Gorizia, the bell tower of Saint Adalberto’s Cathedral, is second in height to that of Aquileia.
The ancient Cathedral house, situated next to Saint Adalberto’s Cathedral is now a museum, containing a precious collection of sacred art. Inside, there are wooden sculptures, religious furnishings and vestments, ancient documents, religious paintings and other valuable works.
Piazza XXIV Maggio is located in the historic center of the city. This square, was once a flourishing cherry market appreciated in all regions of the Habsburg Empire. Now there is the eighteenth-century Palazzo Locatelli and the Enoteca (Wine Bar) of Cormons. The first is the current headquarters of the Municipality of Cormons, while the Enoteca is housed in an early twentieth century building. The Square was designed by the famous Viennese architect, Boris Podrecca, and built entirely of white stone from the Karst. In the centre of the Square is a large fountain made from a single block of red marble, next to which is the 'Lanciasassi' (Stone Thrower), bronze sculpture created by Afonso Canciani, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century
Palazzo Locatelli, an elegant eighteenth-century residence in Palladian style, houses the Town Hall of Cormons, in the historic Piazza XXIV Maggio. The name ‘Locatelli’ derives from the family from Bergamo who built and lived there in the eighteenth century, as seen by the family crest that dominates the entrance portal. Passing through the entrance hall, one reaches the Italian style garden at the back of the building. On the left hand side of the garden there is the CIVIC TERRITORY MUSEUM that houses works of Alfonso Canciani, a Sculptor from Cormons.
This building is located near Piazza XXIV Maggio (‘24th May” Square), in the heart of the historical center of CORMONS. Its construction dates back to the end of the seventeenth century. The building, with sufficient certainty, was designed by GIOVANNI or LEONARDO PACASSI, who worked in CORMONS, at that time. The style is typically, that of the eighteenth-century mansions, which were later built in the town, with the attached rustic buildings arranged to form an internal courtyard. In the main hall (private) there are two large and valuable canvases, about ten meters long, which was specifically painted for this salon in 1747, by the artist Lichtenreit; one of these canvases represents the defense of Vienna from the Turks, when Europe and Christianity were saved from the Ottoman expansionist aims.
Weiz-Del Mestri is a private, eighteenth-century building built by the prestigious Mestri family. At that time, the manor served as a noble residence while the large courtyard behind, closed-in by stables and barns, was used for the collection and preservation of food produced by the manor estates. The Weiz-Del Mestri Chapel (closed to the public), facing the street, is of great architectural significance. It is incorporated into the building, as was used at the time for noble residences, as a private chapel.
The Theater was built in the Habsburg era in 1908 in the neoclassical style, on a site where there already was a Theater built in 1846 and originally had the typical internal architecture like the “La Scala” Theater in Milan. After the 1976 earthquake, it was renovated and subsequently restored to its current form, which also includes a public area in front of the entrance. In addition to hosting the most important shows in the city, for decades the Theater of Cormons, annually presents a rich and interesting season of prose.
This bronze imperial monument, built in Vienna, was erected in the city centre by the Austrian Government to commemorate Emperor Maximilian 1°, who extended the Habsburg Empire to CORMONS in 1518. In the decades following its positioning, the statue suffered innumerable adversities, from its Italian removal after the First World War, to being abandonment for many years in a courtyard in GORIZIA. The last recent move back to its original position, Thanks to a subscription by the people of CORMONS themselves, the statue was moved back to its original position just a few meters in front of Saint Catherine’s Church (Mystical Rose Sanctuary). This statue is one of very few monuments in Italy, dedicated to a foreign ruler and represents one of the distinctive features of the urban landscape of Cormons.
Located in Piazza Libertà (Liberty Square), it was the family home of GAETANO PERUSINI, a great doctor and scientist, co-discoverer of Alzheimer's disease. GAETANO, son of Paolina Cumano, was born in Udine on 24th February 1879. After a brilliant international scientific career, the young doctor decided to enlist as a volunteer, when Italy entered the war in 1915. He was wounded by a splinter on the Gorizia front and died at the age of 36 in Cormons (Silver Medal for Military Valour).
The people of Cormons often call SAINT LEOPOLD’S the ‘Friars’ Church’ and together with Saint George’s Church in Brazzano, belongs to the Municipality of CORMONS. The reason why, is because in 1812, Napoleon suppressed the Dominican convent and seized all their property which included not only the church but also the convent and the surrounding areas. The rather imposing Baroque style building overlooks Piazza Marconi (Marconi Square), where there is also a fine Baroque fountain decorated with cherubs and dolphins.
On 12 August 1866 the armistice that suspended hostilities between Italy and Austria was signed in CORMONS, putting an end to the third war of independent for the unification of Italy. Italy received the Veneto and Friuli regions but had to renounce Trento, Gorizia and Trieste; making the Judro river the border line. Villa Tomadoni (then Della Torre) was chosen for the negotiations. On the façade of the villa there is a plaque commemorating the signing of the treaty that became known as the ‘Armistice of CORMONS’.
The Neuhaus Palace dates back to the 13th century and is the oldest, still inhabited historical building of Cormons; at that time it was one of the few masonry complexes to be built. It is called casa-forte (a vault), as it was erected to protect a single family unit and at the same time represents a symbol of the authority and importance that that house held in the ancient urban agglomeration (area), also having a characteristic circular tower that still stands in the countryside behind. In 1655 it became the residence of the Neuhaus family, a family belonging to the small circle of families who lived in the village of the Quarin Castle in the fourteenth century.
Only the ruins remain, of the fourteenth-century church, of Saint Nicholas. It was built by Nicholas of Ungrispach and later merged as a hospice for strangers and pilgrims. It was destroyed at the end of the 18th century. Some remains of the frescoes that once decorated the church are currently preserved at the CivicTerritory Museum, which is located at Palazzo Locatelli (Locatelli Building) in Piazza XXIV Maggio (24th May Square). The interior of the building is accessible through a raised walkway.
The Portico is situated between Via Cancelleria Vecchia and Piazzale Sfiligoi (Sfiligoi Square). It is a long modern portico (with a triangular roof at the centre which recalls the tympanum of the Cathedral and the Sanctuary on Quarin). A long series of panels tells of 100 years of local history with original photographs of the period, immortalizing the traditions and everyday life of the Cormons' agricultural and wine life. This permanent exhibition, and a similar one in Piazza XXIV Maggio, have been realized by the Tocs Association of Cormons.
At the end of the walk, we find an original monument of recent installation dedicated to Holocaust Victims. An inscription by Primo Levi says: “It could happen again”.