Fra Dolcino, Heretic, And His Margherita's Last Battle
The mountains of the Biella area (Piedmont, Italy) tell many stories about the lives of the local population. What has come down to the present day is the story of the heavy struggles for survival
One of these stories describes resistance under the leadership of a heretic Fra Dolcino against the slaughterous power of the church and the bishop.
We are now on the crest of the mountain, which saw the last part of those terrible years in their lives.
Fra Dolcino was one of the most illustrious leaders of the Apostles.
Apostles have taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and lived a communal life dedicated to serving God and their fellow human beings. They were also involved in preaching, teaching, and providing spiritual guidance. However, they professed inobedience to ecclesiastical authorities and criticized the Roman Curia for their wealth.
Frà Dolcino led his followers to Mount Rubello, forced to abandon the previous headquarters in Valsesia by crossing in 10 hours mountains covered in deep snow in a too-cold spring.
Here, on Mount Rubello, as in other places where they lived, they simply wanted to live in peace, but the bishop of Vercelli felt the power of the church threatened and led his crusade to exterminate all rebels.
There was no vegetation on these mountains, and two armies had prepared ramparts and brought up cannons. The rebel ramparts were razed, and the church built a sanctuary dedicated to St. Bernard at their pace. However, on Mount Tirlo, they can still be seen as ditches where the bishop's bastion was located. Archaeologists say that this bastion was destroyed by rebels.
Between the two mountains, Rubello with the rebels and Tirlo with the bishop's mercenaries, there is still a large field, Bocchetta di Stavello, in which the rebels took their last battle. The bishop's troops exterminated them and took prisoners between Dolcino, his companion Margherita Boninsegna, and his lieutenant Longino da Bergamo, who were burned alive on the banks of the Cervo stream near Biella, in front of the unfortunate friar's eyes.
Today the whole area is much loved by tourists and locals. There are many beautiful, easy and well-equipped paths for walks not only in the summer but also in the other seasons. There are refreshment places and also restaurants where they offer you excellent local foods and natural products from the farms of the restaurateurs themselves. In winter these places attract skiers.
