Kissed knight Guidarello Guidarelli and a guaranteed way to get married (10 photos)

In an effort to get a spouse, some girls and women are ready, if not for everything, then for a lot. And the casket opens simply: all you have to do is drive to Italy and give Guidarelli a kiss.





He was born in Ravenna around the middle of the 15th century, and in 1468, while still very young, he received the title of knight of the Holy Roman Empire.



Ravenna, Italy

During his time, Ravenna was under Venetian influence, so he fought several times in the ranks of the Serenissima, for whom he also acted as an informant. He later fought for both Pope Alexander VI and finally his illegitimate son Cesare Borgia.





Cesare Borgia, portrait by Altobello Melone

It was during one of these campaigns in 1501 that Guidarello was in Imola, where he met his death.

For a long time the reason remained unknown. In connection with this, several versions appeared at once.

He may have been beheaded by Borgia due to his role as an informant for the Venetian Republic. Or that he died in a duel because of a beautiful lady. This legend is unlikely. It appeared, perhaps, already at the stage of romanticization of the myth associated with Guidarello. Plus the knight was married and happily married.



According to a fragment found in 1930 in a chronicle of the time, the warrior allegedly lent a shirt decorated with gold to a certain Virgilio Romano on the occasion of a masquerade. And he, not wanting to return the expensive thing, killed the knight. Then the Duke took revenge for the unjust murder of Guidarello and ordered the death of Virgilio Romano.

More than 20 years after Guidarello Guidarelli's death, a sculptor named Tullio Lombardo dedicated a literally incredible masterpiece to the unfortunate knight in 1525.



Over the centuries that have passed since the creation of the monument, it has become legendary throughout the world. According to legends, any woman who kisses the statue will get married within a year. And the couple will eventually have a child as beautiful as Guidarelli.



This story became so popular, especially during the romantic period of the 19th century, that women from all over the world sent love letters to the statue. There was also an office in Ravenna that handled all correspondence with ladies who wanted to find happiness in marriage. Some exalted persons not only wrote letters full of love to the long-dead knight, but also sent money to the office to buy scarlet roses, which were to be laid at the feet of the statue.



From an artistic standpoint, there is a strong contrast between the stylized armor and the highly detailed, realistic face. His features surprisingly accurately convey the agony and pain of a man whose life was violently taken away. The statue was so highly regarded that museums such as the South Kensington Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Buenos Aires museums wanted a copy.



It was only in 2004 that the statue was finally cleared of lipstick residue. Calculations showed that during this time more than a million women from all over the world kissed Guidarelli.



Still from Marcello Aliprandi's 1970 film "The Tin Girl"

Today a beautiful monument can be seen in the Ravenna Art Museum. True, now the suffering knight, who has become a symbol of the embodiment of the dream of a family, is securely hidden in the depths of the glass display case and has become the object of only virtual, air or mental kisses. That does not prevent it from remaining one of the most romantic masterpieces of world art.