The Monument to Michele Bianchi is a monumental funerary structure built in Belmonte Calabro, in the province of Cosenza, in 1932. Created by sculptor Ercole Drei and engineer Giuseppe Crocetta, it consists of an imposing travertine-clad column crowned by a distinctive four-armed iron cross.
Positioned on a hillside, the column rises prominently and was designed to be visible from all directions. A spiral staircase ascends the interior of the shaft to an upper balcony at the centre of which stands the four-armed cross, originally illuminated to serve as a beacon. Decorative friezes depicting significant moments in the subject’s life run along the massive base of the monument, which also contains a burial chamber within. A dense pine grove was planted around the structure.
The funerary furnishings and bronze fixtures originally housed in the burial chamber were removed after the fall of the fascist regime; some have since been recovered and are preserved in the cellars of the Belmonte Calabro municipal offices.
About the Monument
The monument exemplifies interwar monumental architecture in Italy, employing classical forms—particularly the travertine column as an echo of Trajan’s Column—within a commemorative context.
Details
- Creator: sculptor Ercole Drei; engineer Giuseppe Crocetta
- Year: 1932
- Location: Belmonte Calabro, province of Cosenza, Calabria
- Material: travertine column with iron cross
- Feature: internal spiral staircase with upper balcony; decorative friezes on base; burial chamber
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the monument?
The monument was created by sculptor Ercole Drei and engineer Giuseppe Crocetta.
What is the four-armed cross at the top?
The distinctive four-armed iron cross crowning the column was originally illuminated and functioned as a beacon visible from the surrounding area.
What happened to the contents of the burial chamber?
The bronze fixtures and furnishings originally placed in the burial chamber were removed after the fall of the fascist regime; some items have been recovered and are now stored in the cellars of Belmonte Calabro’s municipal offices.
