Mussomeli
Mussomeli | |
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Comune di Mussomeli | |
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show Location of Mussomeli | |
Mussomeli Location of Mussomeli in Italy | |
Coordinates: 37°34′46″N 13°45′09″E / 37.57944°N 13.75250°ECoordinates: 37°34′46″N 13°45′09″E / 37.57944°N 13.75250°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Sicily |
Province | Caltanissetta (CL) |
Frazioni | Mappa, Polizzello |
Government | |
• Mayor | Giuseppe Catania |
Area | |
• Total | 161 km2 (62 sq mi) |
Elevation | 650 m (2,130 ft) |
Population (January 31, 2004)[2] | |
• Total | 11,354 |
• Density | 71/km2 (180/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Mussomelesi |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 93014 |
Dialing code | 0934 |
Patron saint | Madonna of the Miracles |
Saint day | September 8 |
Website | Official website |
Mussomeli (Mussumeli in Sicilian) is a town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy.
The name of the town is derived from Arabic.[3][4] The most common surname in Mussomeli is Messina.
History[]
Mussomeli is claimed to have been founded in the 14th century by Manfredo III Chiaramonte[5] with the name Manfredi, but later the current name, of Arab origin, was reimposed. In 1549 it became a county under the Lanza family.
Culture[]
A feast is held every September for the Madonna of the Miracles. A similar feast is held simultaneously in Buffalo, NY, which has a large number of Mussomeli émigrés and their descendants.
Diaspora[]
Many townspeople emigrated to the UK, to London and Woking, Surrey where the Madonna dei Miracoli (Madonna of Miracles) is celebrated every July.
People linked to Mussomeli[]
- Don Francesco Langela (1598-1679)
- Don Giuseppe Langela, majon in 1625 and in 1648
- Paolo Emiliani Giudici (1812-1872), writer and literary critic
- Salvatore Frangiamore (1853-1915) painter
- Giuseppe Sorge (1857-1937), historian, prefect and director of the public security
- Giuseppe Genco Russo (1893-1976), mafioso
- Santo Sorge (1908-1972), mafioso
- Domenico Canalella (1914-1978), priest and Italian translator
- Salvatore Cardinale (1948), Italian politician
- Roberto Mistretta (1963), journalist and poet
Main sights[]
- The Chiaramonte Castle Castello Mafredonico, built in 1370 in Norman-Gothic style. It stands on a high crag, elevation 778 metres (2,552 ft), 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) outside the town. It has large halls, dungeons and torture cells, and a chapel with a precious alabaster depicting the Madonna dell Catena (1516). Near the castle are the ruins of a Greek-Italic village.
- The Santuario della Madonna dei Miracoli (Church of Our Lady of the Miracles)
- The Chiesa Madre of San Ludovico (14th century). It was restored along Baroque lines in the 17th century.
- The Renaissance church of San Francesco.
- The 17th Palazzo Trabìa, with a noteworthy art gallery.
- The church of St. Anthony (16th century)
References[]
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Giuseppe Quatriglio (1991). A Thousand Years in Sicily: From the Arabs to the Bourbons (illustrated ed.). Legas / Gaetano Cipolla. p. 17. ISBN 9780921252177.
- ^ Isaac Taylor (1865). Words and Places: Or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology, and Geography. Macmillan. p. 101.
- ^ George Dennis (1864). A handbook for travellers in Sicily. Oxford University. p. 247.
External links[]
- Cities and towns in Sicily
- Municipalities of the Province of Caltanissetta
- Populated places established in the 14th century
- 14th-century establishments in Italy