A borderland, Moncalvo found itself involved in long wars beginning with Monferrato’s war of succession (1627-1630), which coincided with a violent epidemic of the plague. Occupied in 1691 by Eugenio di Savoia’s (Eugene of Savoy) troops, it lost its lands even though, in 1704, Ferdinando Carlo di Gonzaga, as compensation, gave the town back its deed to the City, an ownership which was confirmed seventy years later by King Vittorio Amedeo III di Savoia (Victor Amadeus III of Savoy). A religious land, Moncalvo had, until the beginning of the 19th century, three Franciscan monasteries and a convent of Ursoline nuns. The Chiesa (Church) di San Francesco, the most important in the city, every year, on the 13th of June, celebrates the feast of Sant’Antonio di Padova, patron saint of the city whom, after the mass, the people carry in solemn procession. The Church has precious canvases by Gugliemo Caccia, called the “Moncalvo”, a famous fresco depicting San Rocco, and a beautiful sculpted confessional – the work of the ebony carver Gabriele Capello.
