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Abbiategrasso (Lombardy, Italy)

Citta di Abbiategrasso

Overview
Coat of Arms

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Overview

The municipality of Abbiategrasso (31,401 inhabitants in 2009; 4,705 ha) is located in the Po valley, 20 km from Milan.
Settled by the Romans, subsequently invaded by the Lombards, Abbiategrasso was fortified in 1044 by the Archbishop of Milan. At the end of the 11th century, the town was protected by a wall defended by four gates. Built in the late 12th century, the "Navigium" (Great Canal) allowed irrigation and trsnportation of goods and people to Milan, Ticino and Lake Maggiore.
Successively ruled by the Visconti (1277-1450) and the Sforza (1450-1535), Abbiategrasso was then transferred to the Spanish (1535-1707) and Austrian (1707-1859) Habsburgs. In the second half of the 19th century, industrialization boosted the development of the town out of its historical center; the railway, built in 1868, superseded the Great Canal as the main way of transport.
Abbiategrasso is mostly known in French history as the place where the famous Knight Bayard was killed on 30 April 1524 during the retreat of the French troops.
The first known written form of Abbiategrasso is "Habiate qui dicitur Grassus" (1024). "Habiate" is derived from the Roman anthroponym Avius, while Grassus must emphasize the fertility of the soil ("grasso", here, "fertile").
Source: Municipal website.
The gonfanon of Abbiategrasso is a shown on a photo taken on 28 November 2009 duringa meeting of the "Cittaslow" association held in the town.
The gonfanon is blue with three tails and the municipal arms in the middle, the shield being outlined in gold, surmonted by "CITTA DE ABBIATEGRASSO" in golden letters.
Source: <www.cittaslow.net>.
The arms of Abbiategrasso are "Azure a crowned lion or langued gules. The shield crowned with a five-tower mural crown and flanked by branches of laurel and oak.
The oldest known arms of the town, dating back to the 15th century, show St. Peter holding a shield charged with a lion rampant gules. A tombstone from the 17th century bears arms with the crowned lion and the writing "Regia Abbiategrassi communitas", refering to the Spanish rule over the place.
The mural crown and the writing surmonting the arms recall that Abbiategrasso was awarded the honorary title of "città" (town) on 31 March 1932.
Source: Municipal website.
Ivan Sache, 11 January 2010

Coat of Arms

image from <www.eventiesagre.it>