Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy)
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier | |
---|---|
Tomba del Milite Ignoto | |
Altare della Patria, Rome | |
Designed by | Angelo Zanelli |
"Milite ignoto" – "Xxiv Maggio Mcmxv" – "Iv Novembre Mcmxviii" | |
Click on the map for a fullscreen view |
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (
It is the scene of official ceremonies that take place annually on the occasion of the
History
Choice of the body
The body of the Italian unknown soldier was chosen on 28 October 1921 in the
Maria Bergamas, after passing in front of the first few coffins, slumped to the ground in front of the tenth coffin and screamed her son's name: this was the chosen body.[2] The other ten bodies remaining in Aquileia were buried in the military cemetery.[1]
The chosen body made a journey from Aquileia to Rome by train, passing through Udine, Treviso, Venice, Padua, Rovigo, Ferrara, Bologna, Pistoia, Prato, Florence, Arezzo, Chiusi and Orvieto, at a moderate speed, in each station the population could honour the Unknown Soldier.[1]
Burial
The body was buried on November 4, 1921, at the
The
On November 1, on the initiative of deputy
Worthy son of a brave lineage and of a millennial civilization, he resisted inflexible in the most contended trenches, lavished his courage in the bloodiest battles and fell fighting without other hope than the victory and greatness of the Fatherland[a]
On the front door of the internal crypt is present this epitaph,[1] which was written by King Victor Emmanuel III:[4]
Unknown the name – its spirit dazzles – wherever Italy is – with a voice of tears and pride – they say – innumerable mothers: – it is my son[b]
Tomb
Parts of the crypt and the sepulchre were made with stone materials from the mountains that were the scene of the battles of the First World War: the marble floor is from the
The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is always guarded by soldiers.
It is the scene of official ceremonies that take place annually on the occasion of the
The reason for his strong symbolism lies in the metaphorical transition from the figure of the soldier to that of the people and finally to that of the nation: this transition between increasingly broader and generic concepts is due to the indistinct traits of the non-identification of the soldier.[7]
His tomb is a symbolic shrine that represents all the fallen and missing in the war.[8] The side of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier that gives outward at the Altare della Patria is always guarded by a guard of honour and two flames that burn perpetually in braziers.[9]
The allegorical meaning of the perpetually burning flames is linked to their symbolism, which is centuries old, since it has its origins in classical antiquity, especially in the cult of the dead. A fire that burns eternally symbolizes the memory, in this case of the sacrifice of the Unknown Soldier moved by patriotic love, and his everlasting memory of the Italians, even in those who are far from their country: not by chance on the two perennial braziers next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier a plaque is placed whose text reads "Italians Abroad to the Motherland" in memory of donations made by Italian emigrants between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century for the construction of the Vittoriano.[10]
Notes
- ^ Degno figlio di una stirpe prode e di una millenaria civiltà, resistette inflessibile nelle trincee più contese, prodigò il suo coraggio nelle più cruente battaglie e cadde combattendo senz'altro premio sperare che la vittoria e la grandezza della Patria
- ^ Ignoto il nome – folgora il suo spirito – dovunque è l'Italia – con voce di pianto e d'orgoglio – dicono – innumeri madri: – è mio figlio
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i MILITE IGNOTO entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia italiana
- ^ "In ricordo del Milite Ignoto e di Maria Bergamas a Gradisca di Isonzo" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ Tobia 2011, p. 73.
- ^ a b Tobia 2011, p. 80.
- ^ Tobia 2011, p. 82.
- ^ Tobia 2011, p. 109.
- ^ Tobia 2011, p. 72.
- ^ "L'Altare della Patria" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Il Vittoriano e piazza Venezia" (in Italian). 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Il mito della "lampada perenne"" (in Italian). 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
References
- Tobia, Bruno (2011). L'Altare della Patria (in Italian). Il Mulino. ISBN 978-88-15-23341-7.
External links
- MILITE IGNOTO entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia italiana
- "Il Milite Ignoto" (in Italian).
- "Dettagli delle attività della commissione per la scelta del Milite Ignoto" (in Italian).
- "Cronaca del viaggio e della inumazione del Milite Ignoto" (in Italian).
Media related to Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Vittoriano (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Victor Emmanuel II Monument |
Landmarks of Rome Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Italy) |
Succeeded by Campo Verano |