Born in 1748 in Oletta, Maria Gentile became engaged to Bernardu Leccia in 1768. The year when the Republic of Genoa handed over Corsica to France without consulting the Corsicans beforehand.
Pascal Paoli called on Father Saliceti alias Peverinu to set up the “Oletta Conspiracy”.
Peverinu, a native of Oletta, had no problem setting up a plan and finding the protagonists. In order to avoid the main entrance of the Muntaghjo castle where the king’s officers and gunners were stationed, Peverinu suggested removing Bernardu’s door and planned to bring the Paolists to Oletta with the help of Bernardu Leccia, D. Cermolacce, The Guidoni brothers JC and J. The attack was planned for the night of February 13th to 14th 1769. But one of the resistance followers, rejected by Maria Gentile, a certain Boccheciampe, denounced the plot to the head of the garrison. The main actors of the conspiracy were arrested, except for Peverinu who died from the injuries he received at the battle of Barbaghju.
The investigation began on April 21st against 30 defendants, only 18 were in prison.
Don Petru LECCIA, Maria Gentile’s fiance, Ghjuvan GUIDONI, Ghjuvan Camellu GUIDONI, Domenicu CERMOLACCE alias « U Rossu », and Francescu Antone SANTAMARIA alias « Toto » were sentenced to the galleys or to prison.
The sentence was announced: the convicted persons had to make a public apology in front of the main church of Oletta, being led there wearing a shirt, holding a burning wax torch in their hand and on their knees, declare that they had conspired against the State, the King’s troops and the King. In addition they had to endure ordinary and extraordinary torture.
Ordinary torture corresponds with a torture called the “cans”; this consists of crushing the victim’s fingers in an iron vise. Extraordinary torture means that the convicted victims are attached to a scaffold; their arms, legs, kidneys and thighs are broken quickly, and they must remain that way as long as it pleases God to give them life. It was forbidden to take down the bodies of the convicted victims from the patibulary forks and offer the deceased a burial. This was an unacceptable ban in Corsica which was catholic and churchgoing at that time. In spite of their torture, the defendants never admitted their intentions nor denounced their accomplices.
Not able to decide to accept such an insult and defying the royal ban, Maria Gentile went alone at night, to Oletta’s church to untie her fiance’s body, drag it to Saint-François’ church and offer him what every human being has the right to receive: a burial. She turned herself in to the Major of the French Army, Count De Vaux, who suspected Don Petru’s family of this “crime” against the French king. Nevertheless, he pardoned her in name of the king.
Boccheciampe was found dead sometime later.
Maria Gentile married J. T GUIDONI and passed away on March 30, 1820 at the age of 72. The population of Oletta and even beyond have always considered this woman as a heroine, continue to praise her bravery and in a certain way her patriotism.
In 1734 in the hamlet of Romanacce, there was a certain Giovan Bartolo d’Oletta, alias Michele, who had received a painting of the Madonna from his parish.
On a Good Friday morning, Marie, Michele’s wife, was busy kneading cakes for Easter when she heard a repetitive call: “Maria, your son is burning”.
Leaping towards the crib, a stump had escaped from the fireplace and was beginning to start a fire. She grabbed the child who was resting, hugged him and fell on her knees in front of the Madonna. She then saw tears flooding her face. To be sure, Maria put her finger on the painting, which left an indelible fingerprint on it.
The bishop of the area, Monseigneur Curbo, ordered that the holy image be transferred to Saint-André’s church, which later fell into ruin. A new church was built, which received the Madonna renamed Our Lady of Mercy on April 14, 1820. This holy image is the object of a pious and solemn pilgrimage every three years.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, in the village of Oletta, there was a girl named Ursula who was very poor and very unhappy. She had lost her parents. A stingy, strict aunt called Corbara had welcomed her into her home and took as much advantage of her as she could due to the child’s dedication and kindness.
One day, when she was eighteen years old, she met Orso. He was twenty. The two children liked each other and, quickly exchanged their first kiss. Then they set their wedding date thanks to his uncle Petruccio’s generous help so that the aunt would accept.
Unfortunately, in those backward, wild times, the Genoese and the Pisans were fighting over Corsica. Orso was coming back from the garden. He did not see the group of mercenaries from Pisa who were coming closer. He was taken and killed with one shot of a crossbow. Ursula almost died of grief. […] But she felt another heart beating in her: that of her beloved’s.
When old Corbara learned the news, she kicked her niece out of the house. When she met Petruccio he decided to keep her at his house. A son was born and was named Orso.
One night in his last breath, he shared a secret with Ursula: “It is about a secret that an old wild pig of the Agriates told me at Saint-François. The night of Christmas, you will go to the summit of Tuda, you will stop a little below. You will wait until the Gemini are at equal distance from the Ram’s horns and the Pole star comes out of Monte Stello. Then it will be midnight. Look at the top of the mountain and you will see a white horse with its wings spread out, jumping out from the depths of the earth. When he has disappeared on the horizon, towards Santo-Petro, you will go to the top. You will go down the 100-step stairway. Be careful! As soon as you put your foot on the first step, count how many times your heart beats without making a mistake. You can visit the underground passage without fear up to one thousand, but on the one thousand and one heartbeat, the horse will come back and if, by misfortune, you have not left, he will lock you in with him. In a vaulted room you will find Tuda’s treasure in thirteen steel coffers. But you will not have enough time to lift up the cover of the seventh coffer.”
With Orso, barely one year old, Ursula lived on goat’s milk and boiled corn. But Orso was getting weaker and the poor mother wondered whether they would be able to make it through the winter. Then Ursula remembered the last words of old Uncle Petruccio. Ursula decided anyway to try her last hope. She wrapped her son in a lambswool blanket, then arrived at the road to Tuda. Everything took place as poor Petruccio had announced. She arrived in the vaulted room where the thirteen steel coffers were. She put Orso near the first coffer then lifted up the lid of the eleven other ones where she found golden objects and gemstones. Having arrived at the last coffer…”902, 903, 904!” Ursula stood up, frightened and set off towards the hallway that went up to the exit forgetting her son behind her.
Every day she walked up to Tuda to pray and call her child. These comings and goings of Ursula were noticed by the people of Oletta and especially by old Corbara who decided to follow her one day.
At Christmas, Ursula went up to Tuda, Corbara following her. She continued to pray when the first warning signs appeared in the sky and didn’t bat an eyelid when the earth opened up. Without waiting, Ursula took off and went down the one-hundred step stairway. Ursula looked up and saw Orso standing, well alive. So, she took him, flew through the hallway, and without paying attention bumped into Corbara, who was rushing to the treasure room. The mother and child were half-way up the mountain, when the horse came back and buried himself again. Concerning Corbara, what became of her? As soon as she was in the treasure room, she quickly visited each coffer. She finally arrived at the thirteenth coffer. She lifted up its lid: a horrible whistle escaped from her teeth. The terrified horse rose up in front of her, whereas, in the open coffer, a head of a corpse was looking at her through its two black holes…
Ursula and Orso lived happily and never lacked anything anymore.
If you would like to go up to Tuda, do not go in winter then the Libeccio blows among the rocks. People from here say that you can hear Corbara’s horrible whistle, buried forever with the treasure and its fantastic keeper. Sometimes you can even hear it in Oletta in a December evening when the moon does not shine.
Extract from “The Treasure of Tuda, Christmas Stories”, Remy Laurent