Maurizio Massel, Marquess of Caresana

Descrizione

Beneath the loggia, near the forecourt, a memorial stone commemorates the military honors of Maurizio Massel, the second Marquess of Caresana. Born in 1758, in 1814 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel at the command of the “Casale” Regiment stationed in Genoa. In 1815, he was knighted by King Victor Emmanuel I into the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation and promoted to major general, taking command of the Turin Division on 1st January 1816. Just four days later, however, on 5th January, he was struck dead by a heart attack, leaving his
wife, Maria Elisabetta Ferrero della Marmora, affectionately known as “Babet,” on her own with three small children.
The terracotta tile depicting Saint George and the Dragon is another tribute to the military career of Maurizio Massel, as Saint George is the patron saint of knights and soldiers.