Hi kids!
The walk I’d like to suggest today is really going to be an adventure ’cause we will try together to find a missing place (…that maybe never even existed)!
The Castrum Hengroniae, which is a Latin name meaning “Angrogna Castle”, is a mysterious building destroyed in 1332, where an inquisitor (a person who was charged with seeking and sentencing the inhabitants guilty of not practicing Catholic confession) used to live in, and that it is said that was killed by Waldensian people.
I found this information in some old books, but none of them ever specified where the castle was supposed to be… Maybe at the Catholic Church of San Lorenzo? Or under the current Waldensian pastoral home?
From ancient Angrogna maps it is not clear where it could be!
Among the possible places it is also said that it could’ve been built at Serre, saying that the present Waldensian temple stands on the ruins of a Catholic church, built, in turn, on the mythical palace… but we know it is impossible: the temple was built from nothing in a lawn where some animals used to rest!
And indeed, according to the legend, it is said that once at Serre a certain father William dared to celebrate Mass: of course he was then forced to put up with Waldensian people’s anger… and in the meanwhile a spy ran in a hurry to the church of San Lorenzo, where the inquisitor used to live, alerting him about the uprising and allowing him to escape…
Isn’t it all very strange? What d’you think about it?
Finally, there is also the possibility that the Castle of Angrogna would rise in the current Bastia township, formerly known as “Bastita” (which means “small fortification”)… and for this reason in the coming days I will go there to look for it, so… follow me!
How to get here:
click on the locations coloured in green and the links will take you through the walk we made together, with all of the history and directions to get there!
Do you want to read the tale in Italian ?