La Contrada Priora della Civetta (Owl)
Posted on 31. Aug, 2010 by admin in Archive, Events
On the 16 August 2009 the Palio dell’Assunta was won by the Contrada della Civetta, thanks to the tenacity of the horse Istriceddu and his jockey.
The Contrada hadn’t won this race since 1979. Going back in time, the first time this Contrada won the Palio was on the 2 July 1664 and in 1673 it was also awarded the first prize for the most beautiful chariot of this now historical race.
The chariot of the Civetta was dedicated to the Goddess Minerva who traditionally holds an owl in her hand, considered a sacred animal by the Romans. The first historical mention of the Contrada in the history of Siena was when it was the first to win the “cappotto” or victory in both the July and August Palios of the same year which happened in 1761.
The Contrada della Civetta repeated this double victory in 1778 and subsequently established its headquarters in the Chiesa di San Cristoforo which was then still owned by the noble family of the Tolomei.
At the end of the XIX century the Contrada della Civetta hosted a meeting of all of the priors in the Chiesa di San Cristoforo which later gave the Contrada its full name “Contrada Priora” which was confirmed after a meeting of the Magistrato delle Contrade (Magistrates of the Contrada) held in the same location.
The Oratory was established in 1930 in the Castellare degli Ugurgeri, which is now both the headquarters and also the museum of the Contrada. The Drappelloni (commemorative drape) and the silver precious objects of the Contrada are conserved in the Museum together with a very interesting series of tiles from Siena. The Contrada della Civetta was the last Contrada to have its own oratory where all religious and other sacred functions are held.
The Castellare degli Ugurgeri is in via Cecco Angiolieri which has given the name to the Brotherhood of the Contrada, the SocietĂ Cecco Angiolieri. This name was chosen by the inhabitants to commemorate the renowned poet Cecco Angiolieri who lived in Siena between 1260 and the 1312 and who was considered as the exponent of the “comic-realist” Tuscan poets. The church of the Contrada — Chiesa di Sant’Antonio da Padova — is found in the same street and which in 1945 took the place of the Chiesa di San Cristoforo. St. Anthony of Padua became the Patron Saint of the Contrada and therefore the Feast Day of this saint on the 13 June has now become the feast of the Contrada.
The SocietĂ Cecco Angiolieri was inaugurated on the 25 September 2005 together with the Fontanina della Civetta (Fountain of the Owl), designed and created by Fabio Belleschi. The representative idea of the work is the reproduction of a life-sized owl on the point of “taking flight”. It is held by a light structure which is a perfect rendition of the architecture of the Castellare.
The territory of the Contrada includes the city centre and the main crossroads leading in three main directions, to Florence, Rome and the Maremma, and also contains one of the most important squares of the city: Piazza del Campo. Right in this square on the eve of the August Palio, during the “supper of the general rehearsal”, one of the guests was killed by a large block of stone which became detached from the balcony of a building.
The Contrada was marked by this unfortunate event and was not victorious the following day. The Contrada della Civetta represents astuteness which is found in its motto: “Vedo nella notte (I can see in the Night”. The coat of arms contains a crowned owl, perched on a branch surrounded buy the letters “U” and “M” (the initials of Umberto I di Savoia and Margherita di Savoia) and the main colours are black and red with white stripes.
Official Website of the Contrada: www.contradadellacivetta.it
