Mussomeli

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Mussomeli
Comune di Mussomeli
Mussomeli Panorama.jpg
Coat of arms of Mussomeli
Location of Mussomeli
Mussomeli is located in Italy
Mussomeli
Mussomeli
Location of Mussomeli in Italy
Coordinates: 37°34′46″N 13°45′09″E / 37.57944°N 13.75250°E / 37.57944; 13.75250Coordinates: 37°34′46″N 13°45′09″E / 37.57944°N 13.75250°E / 37.57944; 13.75250
CountryItaly
RegionSicily
ProvinceCaltanissetta (CL)
FrazioniMappa, Polizzello
Government
 • MayorGiuseppe Catania
Area
 • Total161 km2 (62 sq mi)
Elevation
650 m (2,130 ft)
Population
 (January 31, 2004)[2]
 • Total11,354
 • Density71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Mussomelesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
93014
Dialing code0934
Patron saintMadonna of the Miracles
Saint daySeptember 8
WebsiteOfficial 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 Castle of Mussomeli.
  • 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[]

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Giuseppe Quatriglio (1991). A Thousand Years in Sicily: From the Arabs to the Bourbons (illustrated ed.). Legas / Gaetano Cipolla. p. 17. ISBN 9780921252177.
  4. ^ Isaac Taylor (1865). Words and Places: Or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology, and Geography. Macmillan. p. 101.
  5. ^ George Dennis (1864). A handbook for travellers in Sicily. Oxford University. p. 247.

External links[]

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