À la découverte du patrimoine de Carbini sur les traces d’i « Ghjovannali »

The signs all along the path trace the main stages in the history of the Ghjuvannali or Giovannali brotherhood.
As well as its historical interest, the trail offers breathtaking views of the valley and surrounding Corsican mountains. The walk is accessible to all fitness levels and can be completed in half a day.

The history of the Ghjuvannali
During the 14th century, the Christian West saw an evolution in devotional practices, largely influenced by the rise of the Franciscan order and the traumatic effects of the Black Death. For many believers, renunciation of wealth, penance and imitation of the life of the poor and suffering Jesus were the surest path to salvation. The Franciscans encouraged the creation of lay communities, also known as tertiaries or fraternities of the Franciscan Third Order, which applied the precepts of humility and poverty advocated by Saint Francis of Assisi.
In Corsica, a poor region dominated by small lords prone to violence, the Franciscan message found a particular echo. In 1352, a community of Franciscan tertiaries was formed in Carbini, which took the name "Giovannali". Under the leadership of Rostaurius, this community clashed with the Bishop of Aléria, who had authority over the Carbini region, notably by refusing all episcopal authority and also taxation. They made many enemies, both ecclesiastical and seigneurial. In 1352, the Bishop of Aléria obtained a papal excommunication against these "heretics" from Pope Innocent VI. Although initially supported by the Bishop of Pisa, they were definitively recognised as heretics.
A papal commissioner, supported by the local lords, organised a military crusade in the Carbini region and the Eastern Plain. Between 1363 and 1364, in the name of the Church, many Ghjuvannali with wives and children were massacred in Carbini, Ghisoni, the convent of Alesani and other villages. Some chose to die with weapons in their hands rather than renounce their faith. The last Ghjuvannali were burnt at Ghisoni, at the foot of the mountains called Kyrie Eleison and Christe Eleison.