NOVARA, town and episcopal see, Piedmont, Italy, capital of the province of Novara, 31 m. by rail W. of Milan, 538 f t. above sea-level. Pop. (1931) 55,021 (town), 63,211 (commune). Till 1839 surrounded by Spanish ramparts, Novara is now an open, modern town. The cathedral, except for the octagonal dome roofed baptistery (I oth century), was rebuilt (1863-65) ; the church of S. Gaudenzio, dedicated to Bishop Gaudentius (d. who is buried under the high altar, rebuilt by Pellegrino Tibaldi a bout 1570, has a baroque campanile and a dome (1875-78) 396 ft. high. The two first contain pictures by Gaudenzio Ferrari, a native of the town. The city also contains handsome market buildings erected in 1817-1842, a large hospital dating from the 9th century and a court-house constructed in 1346. The town has also a museum of Roman antiquities. The principal industry is the carding and spinning of silk; there are also iron-works and foundries, cotton mills, rice-husking mills, organ factories, dye works, printing and map-making works.
Novara, the ancient Novaria, lay on the road between Vercellae and Mediolanum. Its rectangular plan probably survives from Roman days. A dukedom of Novara was constituted by the Lombards, a countship by Charlemagne. In the 12th century it accepted the protection of Milan. In 1706 it was occupied by Savoy troops. At the Peace of Utrecht it passed to Austria with Milan ; but was granted to Charles Emmanuel in 1735. Under the French it was the chief town of the department of Agogna. Restored to Savoy in 1814, it was in 1821 the scene of the defeat of the Piedmontese by the Austrians, and in 1849 of the more disastrous battle which led to the abdication of Charles Albert and an Austrian occupation of the city. Peter Lombard and Dolcino (see APOSTOLICI) were natives of Novara.
In the church of San Pietro del Rosario was pronounced the papal anathema against the followers of Fra Dolcino.