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 SALVADO

406

SALVATIERRA

vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate, etc. are found in the surrounding mountains. The cathedral (14S0-1511), half-Gothic, contains a magnificent high altar, and is rich in sculptures. The church of St. Bernard, formerly belonging to the Conventuals, has interesting tombs of the counts della Torre; the Church of St. Dominic contains several lu-tistic tombs, especially that of the Marquess Lodovico II and his spouse (1504), and the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. St. Augustine's and St. Bernardino's are also worthy of note. The present town hall is the former Jesuit College, while the older one (14G2), with a bold tower, is utilized by the Court of Assizes. It was the birthplace of Silvio Pellico, tj-pographer Bodoni, Abate Denina, and Alalcarne the anatomist. Saluzzo was a to^ni of the \'agienni, or mountain Liguri, and later of the Salluvii. This district was brought under Roman control by the Con.sul M. Fulvius. In the Carlovingian era it be- came the residence of a count; later, having passed to the marquesses of Susa, Manfredo, son of Marquess Bonifacio del Vasto, on the division of that prin- cipality became Marquess of Saluzzo; this family held the marquisate from 1142 till 1548. The mar- quisat« embraced the territory lying between the Alps, the Po, and the Stura, and was extended on several occasions. In the ISIiddle Ages it had a chequered existence, often being in conflict with pow- erful neighbours, chiefly the Counts of Savoy.

Tommaso III, a vassal of France, wrote the ro- mance "Le chevalier errant". Ludovico (1416-75) was a wise and virtuous prince. Ludovico II con- structed a tunnel, no longer in use, through the Monviso, a remarkable work for the time. With the help of the French he resisted a vigorous siege by the Duke of Savoy in 1486, but in 1487 yielded and retired to France where he wTOte "L'art de la chevalerie sous Vegece" (1488), a treatise on good government, and other works on military affairs. He was a patron of clerics and authors. In 1490 he regained power. After long struggles for inde- pendence, this small state was occupied (1548) by the French, as a fief of the Crown. In 1.588 Carlo Em- manuele I of Savoy took possession of it. Thence- forward the city shared the destinies of Piedmont with which it formed "one of the keys of the house" of Italy. Saluzzo was formerly part of the Diocese of Turin. Julius II in 1511 made it a diocese im- mediately dependent on the Holy See. The first bishop was Gianantonio della Rovere, who after eight months resigned in favour of his brother Sisto, later a cardinal. Other bi.shops were: Filippo Archinti (1.546), a celebrated jurisconsult; the Ben- edictine Antonio Picoth (1583) a learned and pious man, founder of the seminary; he was succeeded by St. Giovenale Ancina (1597-1604) of the Oratory of St. Philip, the apostle of Corsica; Francesco Agostino della Chiesa (1642); Carlo Gius. Morozzo (1698), who had built the high altar of the cathedral. The diocese, since 1805, hiis been suffragan of Turin; it contains 91 p.arLshes with 170,000 inhal)itantH; 300 secular and 30 regular priests; 31 religious liouses; 4 institutes for boys and 3 for girls; and has a Catho- lic newspaper.

Cappelletti, U Chiese d'ltalia, XIV; Carutti. II Mar- chesato lii Saluzzo; Gabotto, I, marehen di Saluzzo (Saluzzo,

i-*"'' U. Benioni.

Salvado, Rcdesindus. See New Norcia.

Salvatierra, Juan Maria, b. at Milan, 15 Novem- ber, 1648; d. at Guaflalajara, 17 July, 1717. His family was of Spanish origin, the name being written originally Salva-Tierra. While pursuing his studies at the Jesuit college of Parma, he accidentally came across a book ufK)n the Indian missions. It so impressed him that he at once determined fo give his life to the same work, although his parents had destined him for marriage with a lady of high rank.

Receiving the habit of the Jesuit Order in Genoa, he sailed for Mexico in 1675, and on arriving in that country continued his theological studies for a time, after which he was assigned to a professorship in the college of Puebla. Dechning a position in the cathedral, he received permission to devote himself to the conversion of the Indians and, in June, 1680, set out for the still unconquered and defiant Taru- mari (q. v.) in the wild mountain defiles of south- western Chiliuahua. Among these, and their neigh- bours, the Tubar, Guazaar, and others, he laboured for ten years, establishing or having charge of several missions, baptizing whole bands, winning the affec- tion of the wild tribes, and, alone, holding them quiet, when aU around were in murderous revolt. In 1690 he was appointed visilador or inspector of the Jesuit missions of the north-western district. Soon after- wards, through conversations with the missionary explorer, Father Eusebio Kino, he conceived an intense desire for the evangehzation of Lower Cali- fornia, for which undertaking official authority was finally granted in 1697, all expense to be at the cost of the mi.ssionaries. In the organization and later conduct of the work his cliief collaborator was Father Juan Ugarte. The contributions for this purpose, by generous donors, formed the basis of the his- toric fondo piadoso, or Pious Fund, of Cahfornia (q. v.), for so many years a subject of contro- versy with the republican government of Mexico. With one small boat's crew and six soldiers Salva- tierra landed 15 October, 1697, at Concepcion Bay, on the east coast of the peninsula, and a few days later founded the first of the California missions, which he dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, his special pa- troness through life. For a time he acted as priest, captain, sentry, and cook, besides studying the lan- guage from a vocabulary prepared by an earlier Jesuit visitor, Father Juan Copart, and from the natives who could be induced by presents to come near. In the course of the next few years he founded six missions, .'successfully overcoming all difficulties. He also made some important explorations. In 1704, being summoned to Mexico, he was appointed provin- cial, but when accepting the office requested that he might soon again be permitted to take up his mis- sion work. This was granted; in 1707 a successor was appointed, and Father Salvatierra returned to his mission charge, where he remained until sum- moned in 1717 to Mexico to confer with the new viceroy. Despite a painful infirmity he set out, but the fatigue so aggravated his disorder that he was obliged to stop at (Guadalajara, to which place he insisted on being carried in a litter rather than turn back. Says the Protestant historian Bancroft: "It was thus that the apostle of California made his last earthly journey. For two long months he tossed upon his deathbed, suffering extreme agony. Then, feeling that his end was near, he summoned the faith- ful Bravo to his side, confided to him the particulars of mission affairs, and empowered him to rej)re.sent California at the capital. On the 17th July, 1717, he died, as he had lived, full of hope and courage. The whole city as.sembled at his funeral, and the remains were deposited amidst, cfTemonies rarely seen at the burial of a Jesuit missionary, in t he chapel which in former years he had <>rected to the Lady of Ix)reto. Salvatierra's memory uchhIs no i)anegyric. His deeds sjjeak for themselves; and in tlu^ light of these, the bitterest (uiemies of his religion or of his order cannot deny th(^ bc^auty of his character and the disinterestedness of his devotion to California." His most important writings are: "Cartas sobre la Conquista espiritual de California " (Mexico, 1698); "N\ieva8 Cartas sobre lo mismo" (Mexico, 1699); and his "Relaciones" (1697-1709) in "Documentos I)ara la Historia do Mexico" (4th series, Mexico, 1853-7).