Sàrmede

Origin of the name

The origin of the name Sarméde appears to be linked to the Sarmatians, a people who settled in the area during the barbarian invasions; the name is, in fact, a linguistic ‘one-off’ among the names of the small villages dotting the Treviso foothills.

The area had, however, been inhabited since the Bronze Age (finds of pottery, arrows and flint tools at the summit of Monte Castelir) and, even more so, during the Roman period, as evidenced by a burial site – known as the ‘Tomb of the Dominus Villae’ – and a memorial stone dedicated to Poblicius Germanus in the Palù district.
The reason for such intense settlement is undoubtedly to be found in the presence of abundant water sources, particularly in the part of the territory situated on the slopes of Cansiglio (the hamlets of Montaner, Val and Rugolo), but also in its proximity to the most important trade routes, which made Sarmede a key crossroads for people and goods travelling along the east-west and north-south axes of the European continent.

Foto della Chiesa di Sarmede

Sàrmede in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the Christian faith flourished throughout the foothills, thanks to the influence of nearby Aquileia, and the oldest parish church in the Sàrmede area was that of the village of Rugolo, where a church dedicated to St George was erected on the ruins of an ancient shrine.

In addition to Rugolo, the hamlet of Borgo Val also grew in importance during the Middle Ages. Perched atop a hill, its settlement developed around a small consecrated church, Santa Cecilia del Colmello, whilst a short distance away, on the hill known as ‘Jerona’, stood the castle of Montanara, built in 958 by the Lombards and now almost entirely lost.

For obvious safety reasons, the population at that time lived mainly in the ‘higher’ areas, around Rugolo Castle and the Da Camino Castle in Montaner. It was not until the late 1400s, when the hostilities associated with the war against the Hungarians (1411–1418) had come to an end, that the first families from Montaner and Rugolo moved to Sàrmede, that is, to the plain. Meanwhile, specifically from 1388 to 1454, Montaner had become a “regola” affiliated with Cordignano and under the influence of the Venetian Republic.

Following the Longobard period, during the feudal era, Sàrmede became the estate of the Counts of Montanara, of Frankish origin, who played a leading role in a number of notable exploits, including the rescue of the Emperor of Saxony, who rewarded them by granting them the Fortress of Montanara, situated near the present-day village of Montaner. The heirs of the Da Montanara family subsequently left the estate and moved to the lowlands, towards Oderzo, specifically to the hamlet of Camino, where they built a castle later known as Da Camino, thus giving rise to a new lineage: the Da Camino family. And so it was that Montaner came into the possession of the Caminesi family of Serravalle, before eventually passing to the Republic of Venice in 1339.

Subsequent eras: crises and revivals

Unfortunately, however, between 1477 and 1499, Sàrmede and the entire surrounding area were invaded by the Turks and then repeatedly struck by a series of plagues, such as those of 1567, 1574, 1580, 1589, 1628 and 1630.

It was only from 1600 onwards that Sàrmede became more populous than Rugolo and, consequently, gained greater importance.

Between 1669 and 1704, the inhabitants of Sàrmede were able to purchase various plots of land from the large landowners – namely the wealthy families of Cordignano and Serravalle – whilst a series of civil and religious ordinances and laws completely transformed the organisation of the territory at the turn of the 18th century.

During this period, there was a significant increase in agricultural and commercial activity; the rural bank and the consumer cooperative were established, and in 1810, Rugolo and Sàrmede, together with Montaner, were merged into a single municipality, thus giving rise to the municipal administration of Sàrmede.

Cartolina di Montaner

Famous personalities

Do you know that…?

Did the event known as the ‘last schism’ of the Catholic Church take place in Montaner in 1967?

Following the death of Don Faè, it was widely believed amongst the parishioners that his successor should be the curate, Don Antonio Botteon, who had assisted Don Faè during the last three years of his life. However, Monsignor Albino Luciani, who was Bishop of Vittorio Veneto at the time, appointed another priest, Don Giovanni Gava.

In response to this decision, a committee was formed in the village to ask the bishop to entrust the parish to the chaplain or, at the very least, to confirm Montaner’s residence there as assistant parish priest. Bishop Luciani rejected the request and, following a period of failed negotiations, the local population effectively broke away, establishing an Orthodox community in the village; on the evening of 26 December 1967, the first Mass according to the Byzantine rite was celebrated in Montaner.

The Orthodox church was subsequently built and consecrated on 7 September 1969. At present, both faiths still coexist in Montaner.

In 1894, the first Rural and Artisanal Bank was founded in Montaner, which later gave rise to the Banca di Credito Cooperativo delle Prealpi Trevigiane, now known as Banca Prealpi San Biagio

It was in 1894 that the Cassa Rurale e Artigiana was founded in Montaner. The advent of credit cooperatives has brought about a positive change in life in the foothills, where poverty is widespread and linked to the fact that most of the population works in the primary sector, with landholdings too fragmented to provide a decent income. We must also take into account weather conditions, which can affect an entire year’s harvest and, consequently, all sources of livelihood.

It was precisely the farmers of the late 19th century, in need of credit and often forced to resort to usury, who decided to take the fate of their community and their prospects for development into their own hands by establishing “a cooperative society under a collective name, known as the Cassa Rurale di prestiti di Montaner, a hamlet of the municipality of Sarmede”.

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