Monumento ossario di Crespino

The massacre of Crespino sul Lamone was a Nazi-fascist slaughter that took place between the 17th and 18th of July 1944, in the homonymous hamlet of the municipality of Marradi, in the province of Florence. The massacre, carried out by the 3rd Polizei-Freiwilligen-Bataillon Italien, claimed the lives of 44 civilians, leaving an indelible mark on the historical memory of this land. On the 15th of July 1944, a German soldier was killed near Crespino sul Lamone, a small village in the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines, located along important communication routes between Tuscany and Romagna: the SS 302 and the Faentina railway. Following the death of the soldier, the village was searched by the Nazis in search of partisans. In the afternoon of the 17th of July, a German patrol was involved in a firefight with a group of civilians who were not part of any partisan formation. During the clash, a German soldier was killed, while another managed to escape and raise the alarm. A few hours after the incident, the hamlet of Crespino sul Lamone was attacked by the 3rd Polizei-Freiwilligen-Bataillon Italien, a unit of military police composed of German officers and Italian soldiers. This same unit had been involved in the massacre of Niccioleta in the previous June, which had resulted in the death of 83 people. Upon the Nazis' arrival, 21 people were shot on the banks of the Lamone river. Subsequently, the soldiers headed towards some farms in the vicinity of Crespino, where they continued to kill other civilians. The following day, the 3rd Polizei-Freiwilligen-Bataillon moved north, entering the municipality of Palazzuolo sul Senio, where in the hamlets of Fantino and Lozzole, they killed another ten people. The church of the village was desecrated, and the civilians were massacred with machine gun fire. The total number of victims amounts to 42, including the elderly parish priest Don Fortunato Trioschi and two other elderly men who were in the church at the time of the murder. The Ossuary Monument of Crespino sul Lamone stands on the banks of the Lamone river, precisely where, on the 17th of July 1944, the massacre of 42 civilians took place. The first monument was built in 1946 and consisted of a stone base that housed the crypt-ossuary where the victims of the massacre were buried. At the top of the monument, a cross was placed, originally commissioned by the municipal administration and made by one of the men who fell victim to the massacre. Later, when the upper part of the Monument to the Fallen with the chapel was completed in 1964, the cross was moved to the cemetery of Crespino, where it still stands today. On the 17th of July 1967, the memorial was officially inaugurated in Crespino sul Lamone in the form that we can still admire today. The monument, with its crypt and its symbolism, represents an act of memory and pain for the innocent victims of the brutality of war, making the sacrifice of the men and women of Crespino a warning for future generations. The commemorative plaques adorning the monument bear words of sorrow and hope, including one that reads: "When love fades in the hearts of men and hatred prevails, more worthy of tears and praise are the innocent fallen in such ruin." Other words recall the figure of Don Fortunato Trioschi, a pastor who, despite his religious role, was not spared from the massacre, and the call for forgiveness and resignation for those who have suffered pain: "Oh chosen souls! For such a heartbreaking holocaust, may the Lord grant you the reward of Martyrs and Heroes." The Ossuary Monument of Crespino sul Lamone is not just a place of historical memory, but also a symbol of resistance against hatred and violence, reminding everyone of the importance of peace and solidarity.

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