Cortemaggiore (Piacentino: Curtmagiùr) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Piacenza. Cortemaggiore is located in northern Italy about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Milan and 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Bologna, in the Pianura Padana. The municipality borders Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Villanova sull'Arda, Besenzone, San Pietro in Cerro, Caorso, Pontenure and Cadeo.

Cortemaggiore
Comune di Cortemaggiore
Coat of arms of Cortemaggiore
Motto: 
"Nihil sanctius quam recta fides cum sororibus associata" (Nothing is holier than a true faith combined with other virtues)
Location of Cortemaggiore
Map
Cortemaggiore is located in Italy
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore
Location of Cortemaggiore in Italy
Cortemaggiore is located in Emilia-Romagna
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore (Emilia-Romagna)
Coordinates: 45°0′N 9°56′E / 45.000°N 9.933°E / 45.000; 9.933
CountryItaly
RegionEmilia-Romagna
ProvinceProvince of Piacenza (PC)
FrazioniChiavenna Landi and San Martino in Olza
Government
 • MayorGianluigi Repetti (Casa delle Libertà)
Area
 • Total
36 km2 (14 sq mi)
Elevation
50 m (160 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total
4,345
 • Density120/km2 (310/sq mi)
DemonymCortemaggioresi or Magiostrini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
29016
Dialing code0523
Patron saintSan Lorenzo (St. Lawrence)
Saint dayAugust 10
WebsiteComune di Cortemaggiore [1]

The town was founded in 1479 by the Pallavicino family, over an old Roman habitation, which had been the capital of the ancient Stato Pallavicino. In 1949 the Italian entrepreneur Enrico Mattei discovered in Cortemaggiore's subsoil an important oilfield; with this oil a gasoline called Supercortemaggiore was produced, the only one refined from Italian oil.

The municipality's motto is Nihil sanctius quam recta fides cum sororibus associata - "Nothing is holier than a true faith combined with other virtues."

Architecture

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Among the religious edifices in the town are the following:

  • Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie or Collegiata: Gothic style church in town center. The interior conserves a polyptych, composed of twelve pieces by Filippo Mazzola, the father of Parmigianino.
  • San Giovanni: church built in 1625-1630 and frescoed by Robert de Longe in 1705
  • Annunziata: church and adjacent Franciscan monastery, built in 1487, it houses two works by Il Pordenone, an Immaculate Conception and a Deposition from the Cross.
  • San Giuseppe: built 1576-1593 by the brotherhood of San Giuseppe, and subsequently decorated with stuccoes by Bernardo Barca and Domenico Dossi in 1697-1701
  • Oratory of San Lorenzo: built in 1666.
  • Oratory of San Giovanni: started in 1625 by the confraternity of SS Sacramento.
  • Santa Maria delle Grazie fuori le mura or Madonnina: built by the priest Anotonio Bovarini in 1661.

Notable people born in Cortemaggiore

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  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.