Canossa

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Canossa is a castle in central Italy, Emilia-Romagna at which the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII. The Walk to Canossa is sometimes used as a symbol of the changing relationship between the medieval Church and State.

Canossa Castle was built around the middle of the 10th century by Atto Adalberto. It was inherited by Matilda of Tuscany, the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII, in 1052. Matilde died in 1115 in Mantovan territory.

Canossa Castle, perched spectacularly on top of the white cliffs of the Apennines, is an abandoned ruin today. Because of its historical importance each year more than 30,000 tourists come here, especially from Germany.

The church of San Appollonio within the walls, contemporary of the castle, was also destroyed, only the christening font remains, preserved in the national museum "N. Campanini" next to the remains of the wall.

Saint Magdalen of Canossa is an Italian saint of the early 19th century, who set up the Institute of the Daughters of Charity and in whose name the Canossian schools have been set up in many countries.

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