Mussomeli

Mussomeli
Comune
Comune di Mussomeli

Coat of arms
Mussomeli
Location of Mussomeli in Italy
Coordinates: 37°35′N 13°45′E / 37.583°N 13.750°E / 37.583; 13.750Coordinates: 37°35′N 13°45′E / 37.583°N 13.750°E / 37.583; 13.750
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)
 • 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.[1][2] The most common surname in Mussomeli is Messina.

History

Mussomeli is claimed to have been founded in the 14th century by Manfredo III Chiaramonte[3] 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), journanist 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. ↑ Giuseppe Quatriglio (1991). A Thousand Years in Sicily: From the Arabs to the Bourbons (illustrated ed.). Legas / Gaetano Cipolla. p. 17. ISBN 9780921252177.
  2. ↑ Isaac Taylor (1865). Words and Places: Or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology, and Geography. Macmillan. p. 101. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ↑ George Dennis (1864). A handbook for travellers in Sicily. Oxford University. p. 247. |access-date= requires |url= (help)


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