CHIERI

chieri, a town and episcopal see of piedmont, italy, in the province of turin, 13 m. s.e. by rail and 8 m. by road from the town of turin. pop. (1901) 11,929 (town), 13,803 (commune). its gothic cathedral, founded in 1037 and reconstructed in 1405, is the largest in piedmont, and has a 13th century octagonal baptistery. chieri was subject to the bishop of turin in the 9th and 10th centuries, it became independent in the 11th century. in 1347 it submitted voluntarily to count amedeus vi. of savoy to save itself from the marquis of monferrato, and finally came under the dominion of savoy in the 16th century. in 1785 it was made into a principality of the duke of aosta. it was an early centre of trade and manufacture; and in the middle of the 15th century produced about 100,000 pieces of cotton goods per annum. see l. cibrario, _delle storie di chieri_ (turin, 1855).