Association Memory of Benedicta

The Associazione Memoria della Benedicta (Association Memory of Benedicta) is an Italian non-profit association dedicated to preserving and transmitting the memory of the Benedicta massacre, described on its official website as "the largest massacre of partisans of the Italian Resistance." On 7 April 1944, large Nazi-fascist forces surrounded the Benedicta area at Capanne di Marcarolo; 154 partisans were shot and a further 190 were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp, from which only 35 returned home. The ancient Benedicta building, originally a Benedictine grange, was mined and destroyed on the evening of 7 April 1944. The association is a collective body rather than a commercial enterprise. According to its "Chi Siamo" page, it is composed of the Province of Alessandria, the Metropolitan City of Genoa, the municipalities of Alessandria, Genoa, Bosio, Novi Ligure, Ovada and more than 40 small municipalities located between the provinces of Alessandria and Genoa. Institutional and memorial organizations also participate, including the Istituto Ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Età Contemporanea (ILSREG), the Istituto per la storia della resistenza e della società contemporanea in provincia di Alessandria "Carlo Gilardenghi" (ISRAL), the provincial ANPI sections of Alessandria and Genoa, and the ANED sections of Genoa and Alessandria. The association's activities, as listed on its website, include historical research and publication, the "Benedicta 44'" event and memory work, maintenance of memory, historytelling, a digital archive, educational didactics, and guided visits to the Benedicta sites. Its digital presence includes a news section and a "Historytelling" section featuring articles such as "Anna e Giovanni Ponte," "Partigiani uccisi, fucilati e deportati," "La liberazione di Alessandria," "Il vuoto che resta," "Domenico Gaetano Pizzorno (1725-1775)" and "79° Anniversario della Benedicta." The current president is Sen. Daniele Gaetano Borioli. The vice-president is Giacomo Ronzitti, and the president of the Assembly of Members is Stefano Persano, mayor of Bosio. The board of directors includes representatives of the member institutions: Daniele Borioli for the Province of Alessandria, Laura Repetto for the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Gian Paolo Lumi for the Municipality of Alessandria, Arianna Viscogliosi for the Municipality of Genoa, Antonio Di Cristo for the Municipality of Ovada, Stefano Leardi for the Municipality of Novi Ligure, Mariano Santaniello for ISRAL, Giacomo Ronzitti for ILSREG, Massimo Bisca for ANPI Genoa, and Roberto Rossi for ANPI Alessandria. The association operates in Italy and maintains the website benedicta.org. It functions as a civil-society memory institution rather than a commercial brand, and its "products" are publications, commemorative events, educational programs and archival resources.

The Associazione Memoria della Benedicta is dedicated to the memory of the Benedicta massacre, which occurred on 7 April 1944. On that day, large Nazi-fascist forces surrounded the Benedicta area at Capanne di Marcarolo. According to the association's website, 154 partisans were shot and a further 190 were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp (KL Mauthausen), and only 35 returned home. The ancient Benedicta building, which had originated as a Benedictine grange, was mined and destroyed on the evening of 7 April 1944. Testimonies collected by the association, such as that of Dante Ghezzi, describe the surprise and chaos of the encirclement: "No one imagined it, no one... then we saw the Germans coming at us at Capanne and there was a rout... many gathered at the Benedicta, thinking that by surrendering they would be taken prisoner, not slaughtered." Another testimony, from Giuseppe Sericano, recalls the deportation: "They chose an interpreter [...], he tells us - the journey is over, here we will work, as long as we have a drop of blood; forget your families, father and mother, grandparents, brothers, sisters, wives and children and also Italy. Here, as long as there is a drop of blood we work, and when there is no more... see that chimney, there?" Martina Scarsi testified: "We went to the large farmstead La Benedicta. We found playing cards, toothbrushes, toothpaste, everything and a lot of burnt wood on the ground. La Benedicta had been blown up with dynamite." In the summer of 1944, the "Mingo" division was promoted in part by survivors of the Benedicta massacre. The association itself is a non-profit body composed of public institutions and memorial organizations. Its members include the Province of Alessandria, the Metropolitan City of Genoa, the municipalities of Alessandria, Genoa, Bosio, Novi Ligure, Ovada, and more than 40 small municipalities between the provinces of Alessandria and Genoa. Also participating are the Istituto Ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Età Contemporanea (ILSREG), the Istituto per la storia della resistenza e della società contemporanea in provincia di Alessandria "Carlo Gilardenghi" (ISRAL), the provincial ANPI sections of Alessandria and Genoa, and the ANED sections of Genoa and Alessandria. The association's activities include historical research and publications, the "Benedicta 44'" event and memory work, maintenance of memory, historytelling, a digital archive, educational didactics, and visits to the Benedicta sites. Its website features a news section and a "Historytelling" section with articles on individuals and events related to the Resistance and the massacre. The current president is Sen. Daniele Gaetano Borioli; the vice-president is Giacomo Ronzitti; the president of the Assembly of Members is Stefano Persano, mayor of Bosio. The board of directors includes representatives from each member institution.

• Benedicta massacre: 154 partisans shot, 190 deported to Mauthausen, ancient Benedicta building destroyed.

• Publication of articles on the 79th anniversary of the Benedicta massacre.

• Publication of 'Anna e Giovanni Ponte' in the Historytelling section.

Non-profit memory institution preserving the history of the Benedicta massacre and the Italian Resistance.

• Benedicta 44' event

  Commemorative event and memory work.

• Historytelling

  Digital storytelling section with articles on Resistance history.

• Digital Archive

  Online archive of documents and testimonies.

• Didactics

  Educational programs for schools and visitors.

• Maintenance of Memory

  Care and upkeep of memorial sites and memory.

1. 1Associazione Memoria della Benedictabenedicta.org
2. 2Historytelling - Benedictabenedicta.org
3. 3Chi Siamo - Benedictabenedicta.org
4. 4Associazione Memoria della Benedictawikidata.org