The Destruction by Barbarossa

The battle by the people of  Chieri to gain independence from the power of the bishop and his allies – the empire and the vassal counts of Biandrate – began in the 12^th century. In 1155 Federico Barbarossa, in agreement with Carlo, bishop of Turin, sent the army against them. They destroyed the towers “ that were not a few” and set the town on fire. Guido of Biandrate was given ownership over the feud of Chieri. At that time Chieri, defined by it’s inhabitants as “a walled village”, already presented an urban aspect and had good defences. The layout of the walls enclosed a relatively large area. A wider circle was constructed at the end of the third century AD when the city, beginning again from the neighbourhoods of Vairo, Albussano, Gialdo and Arene, had a population of over 10.000 inhabitants.