History of Monza

The origins of Monza are very old, and they recall a time when the Celtic invaders sent away the Etruscans from Northern Italy. Apart from a few finds of the Bronze Age, we have not local archaeological evidences, except for the following period, when local people met with the Roman Civilization. We have over twenty tombstones of Roman times, which indicate the time when Monza was a "Vicus" ("Village") of the tribe of "Modiciates"; among these, of particular importance are the inscriptions of the Altar dedicated to Hercules, mentioned in inscriptions as "Hercules Modicianus" and ascribed to some young aristocrats taking part of a "Collegium"  funeral-religious. The city is mentioned in the inscriptions with the name "Modicia" and also that of "Modoetia", because the two names reciprocated from the tenth century.

This archaic Roman centre had a considerable importance, not only for the presence of the mentioned  religious “Collegium”, but also because it was a key station for changing horses along the road leading from Milan to the North, and which in "Modicia" crossed the Lambro River with the bridge of "Arena", which is the most important  find of the Roman times. The presence of the Romans also gave origin to a curious etymology, according to which "Monza" resulted from “ Magonza” ["Mainz"], since the city was founded by veterans coming specifically from Mainz. Monza is first mentioned during the Lombard domination, and its name is linked to that of Queen Teodolinda (died 627),  wife of Authari (540-590).

Teodolinda, as Paul the Deacon (720-799) narrates, built the Church of St. John the Baptist: "[...]Theodolinda Regina Basilicam Beati Johannis Baptistae, quam Modoetia construxerat, pro se, et pro viro suo et pro filiis ad filiabus, pro cunctis Langobardis ut ipse sanctus Johannes sit intercessor pro cunctis Langobardis ad Dominum [...] (" Queen Teodolonda  built in 'Modoetia (Monza) the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, for herself, her sons and daughters, for her husband and all the Lombards, because St. John the Baptist intercede before God for all the Lombards "). According to legend about the erection of the St. John the Baptist Church, is to Queen Teodolinda to whom  is also ascribed the 'invention' of the name "Modoetia"; she was indeed looking for a suitable place for the church, when he heard a voice saying: "Modo" ["now"], and she replied: "Etiam" (yes); in this way, from the place where the church was located, was born the term "Modoetia [m]."

Next to “Modoetia”, we often find, in some medieval documents dating back to the eleventh century, the ancient name “Modicia”. "[...] One of them drawn in 'Modicia', was concerned some properties situated '' in castro qui est posito in villa 'Modicia '(...) ["Castle located in Villa' Modicia '"]. In April  934 some people have mentioned 'abitantis castro Modica' ["residents in the Castle 'Modica'"], and in December 943 the 'estimator' (“valuer”) of a permutation is a 'habitator castro Modicia' [...] [" an inhabitant of the castle of 'Modica' "]” (See G. Vismara, “Per una Storia di Monza e della Brianza”, in “Scritti di Storia Giuridica” [" For a History of Monza and Brianza, in "Writings of legal history"], Giuffrè, 1987: 242). With the name "Modoetia" the city is mentioned in other documents of 1278, pertinent to the income of some Churchs of Monza, where they said: "[...] In Nomine Domini MCCLVIII. Hoc est inventarium factum per Dominos Archipresbiterum et Canonicos Ecclesie Sancti Johannis de Modoetia [...] (In the name of God, 1278. This is the inventory compiled by the Priests and Canons of the Church of St. John of ‘Modoetia’”). (See A.F. Frisi, “Memorie Storiche di Monza” ["Historical Memoirs of Monza”], Milan, in the printing of Gaetano Motta, 1794: 200).

Frisi, very cleverly,  studied the evolution of the name of Monza through wills, concluding that "Modoetia" was the last  city name before its final name, "Monza". He wrote that in fact the city, over the centuries, was called "[...] 'Modoicum', 'Modoicio', 'Modica', 'Modoecia', 'Modoetia', the last name of Monza [...]" (page 7, first column). But what is the etymology of "Modica" - "Modoetia? Frisi, who believed little in etymology, which he considered entirely fanciful, beought some of them  with much irony, noting that for some scholars "Modicia" derives from "a modicitate census" [“humble state of life”]; for others  from “modica Civitas " [“humble Town”]; for others from the fact that it would be "close to the mountains" (hence "Mon-za”), being the city “near at the foot of the hills of Brianza” (page 7,  column 2).

And today? Today, the proposals of the scholars are certainly less "imaginative" than those of the nineteenth century, but are not certain. G.B. Pellegrini (“Toponomastica Italiana”, [“Italian toponymy”], Hoepli, 1990: 126) notes that the name of Monza could be connected to "[...] 'fluvius Mordula' (' Mordula River') and we could go up the Celtic term "Morga-Murg" ("river"), 'swamp', or the Gallic term 'Morga' ('border') [See the German word 'Mark'], but these assumptions do not seem entirely sure [ ...]". Around 1960 A. Polloni (“Toponomastica Romagnola” [“Toponomy of Romagna”], Olschki, 1966:137) linked the name to the Latin-Germanic term of feudal origin "Munda" (French 'mund', i.e. 'legal protection'), or "the territories under the protection of a feudal lord. " We conclude the question about the etymology of Monza with the words of Mirabella Roberti, who, referring to the idea of Polloni,  concluded that, as was the case for "Mediolanum” (Milan), the etymology of Monza “is a mystery”(See M. Mirabella Roberti, “Archeologia e storia a Milano e nella Lombardia Orientale” [" Archaeology and History in Milan and East Lombardy”], Cairoli, 1980:51-52).

The advent of the Lombards in the territory of Monza (585) coincided with a period of great building and cultural development,  thanks to  Queen Teodolinda , who built the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, in which now is kept his crypt and other precious treasures, including the famous "Iron Crown", which encircled the head of many emperors (Charlemagne [742-814], Frederick Barbarossa [1122-1190], and Napoleon [1769-1821]). Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, in the twelfth century, helped the city to escape the domination of Milan, and thus the City was independent, continuing to prosper and increase its economic importance, based about the craft and wool. In this period was built the so-called “Arengario”, the symbol of political power, but the death of Emperor Barbarossa caused the loss of independence and Monza was again subjugated in Milan.

In the sixteenth century Monza was also tore by internal struggles between two powerful families of the Torriani and Visconti. In 1322 it was conquered by the Visconti, who built new walls and the castle. Matteo Visconti (1250-1322) wanted to rebuild the cathedral and new churches were built, as “Santa Maria in Strada”, “Santa Maria del Carrobiolo” and St. Maurice. Under the rule of the Visconti and then of the Sforza, Monza continued to grow culturally and artistically, but from the first half of the sixteenth century, it suffered the Spanish rule. Monza also suffered the consequences of a serious plague that decimated the population, but that did not stop the artistic activity of the city; in fact, were built the bell tower of the Cathedral and the Baptistery, designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi (1526-1596, a painter who suffers the influence of Giulio Romano [1499-1546], Michelangelo [1475-1564] and Mannerism) and, finally, numerous villas were built in the country.

Under the Austrian  and French rule, it developed the craft, Agriculture and numerous villas were built as Pertusati, Rampini, Uboldi,  and the famous “ Royal Villa”, an example of neoclassical architecture, which was built in the eighteenth century by will of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1772-1807). The Villa, located within the Park of Monza, keeps the apartment houses, Royal Chapel and  Rotunda, frescoed by Andrea Appiani (1754-1817, who studied at the Academy of Brera (Milan) and that with Napoleon became the "premier peintre" ["the first painter"]  of the emperor. His style is distinctly Neoclassical, and he is also a painter remembered as portraitist). In this period were also built several factories for processing of the silkworm, a textile business that will last at Monza until the early nineteenth century. After the "Risorgimento", the city became part of the Kingdom of Italy (1861). Today Monza is universally known for its famous “Autodrome”, located inside the Park of Monza, of great and ancient tradition,  inaugurated at the beginning of the 1920s.