Celano
Encyclopedia
Celano is a town and comune
in the Province of L'Aquila
, central Italy
, 120 km (75 mi) east of Rome
by rail.
, below the mountain range of Sirente. It faces the valley of Fucino, once filled by the large Fucine Lake
, which was drained during the 19th century.
, Celano suffered from the invasions of Lombards
(6th century) and Saracen
s. The city passed under Byzantine
control, and was then subdued by the Lombards and governed by the duchies of Spoleto
and Benevento
.
From the 8th century, Charlemagne
and his descendants ruled the Marsica region independently of Spoleto, raising it to the rank of county. Celano was elected Caput Marsorum (capital city of the Marsica region), governed by the Berardi family. From around the year 1140, it was captured by the Normans, who annexed it to the Kingdom of Sicily
. Fearing that Marsica was becoming too powerful, in the year 1223 Emperor Frederick II
ordered his army to destroy the castles of the region. Celano suffered a long siege
, which ended with its defeat and total destruction and the exile of its entire male population to Sicily
and Malta
. Once the feudal rights of Celano were abolished the region came under the jurisdiction of the Giustizierato
of Abruzzo
, with Sulmona
as capital.
After the intercession of the Pope Honorius III
, Emperor Frederick II authorised the inhabitants to return from exile. The new city was rebuilt three years after its destruction, about one kilometre from the ancient city. Celano reflourished and was once again governed by the Berardi family.
After a series of struggles between the Angevins
and Aragonese
, in the 15th century the family of Berardi was dethroned by the family of the Pope Pius II
of Pienza
, allied to the Aragonese, who governed the city and its county. Celano was incorporated into the Kingdom of Naples
till 1860, except during the years associated with the Napoleonic era
and the Parthenopean Republic. In the year 1591, the Piccolomini
family sold the County of Celano to Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V
. The city was at times also governed by the Savelli
and Sforza families and was damaged by earthquakes in the years 1695, 1780, 1915 and 2009.
From the year 1860, Celano belonged to the Kingdom of Italy
.
Rome - Pescara.
Celano is home to three churches with 13th century facades in the style of those of L'Aquila.
, born between the years 1185 and 1190, and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, and of the classical pianist Nazzareno Carusi
.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the Province of L'Aquila
Province of L'Aquila
thumb|left|200px|Map of the province.The Province of L'Aquila is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part of the region...
, central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 120 km (75 mi) east of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
by rail.
Geography
Celano rises on the top of a hill in the territory of MarsicaMarsica
Marsica is a geographical area in the Abruzzo, central Italy, including 37 comuni in the province of L'Aquila, the most important of which is Avezzano. It is located between the plain of the former Lake Fucino, the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, the plain of Carsoli and the valley of...
, below the mountain range of Sirente. It faces the valley of Fucino, once filled by the large Fucine Lake
Fucine Lake
The Fucine Lake was a large lake in central Italy, stretching from Avezzano in the northwest to Ortuccio in the southeast, and touching Trasacco in the southwest. It was drained in 1875.-Roman drainage:...
, which was drained during the 19th century.
History
After the fall of the Western Roman EmpireWestern Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Celano suffered from the invasions of Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
(6th century) and Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s. The city passed under Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
control, and was then subdued by the Lombards and governed by the duchies of Spoleto
Duchy of Spoleto
The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in central Italy by the Lombard dux Faroald.- Lombards :The Lombards, a Germanic people, had invaded Italy in 568 and conquered much of it, establishing a Kingdom divided between several dukes dependent on the King, who had...
and Benevento
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
.
From the 8th century, Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and his descendants ruled the Marsica region independently of Spoleto, raising it to the rank of county. Celano was elected Caput Marsorum (capital city of the Marsica region), governed by the Berardi family. From around the year 1140, it was captured by the Normans, who annexed it to the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
. Fearing that Marsica was becoming too powerful, in the year 1223 Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
ordered his army to destroy the castles of the region. Celano suffered a long siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
, which ended with its defeat and total destruction and the exile of its entire male population to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. Once the feudal rights of Celano were abolished the region came under the jurisdiction of the Giustizierato
Giustizierato
A giustizierato , refers to a type of country subdivision that was used by several former Italian states in the medieval period.-History:...
of Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, with Sulmona
Sulmona
thumb|150px|Celestine V's hermitage and the remains of the Shrine of Hercules Curinus.thumb|150px|Palazzo SS. Annunziata and Museo Civicothumb|150px|Church of SS...
as capital.
After the intercession of the Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...
, Emperor Frederick II authorised the inhabitants to return from exile. The new city was rebuilt three years after its destruction, about one kilometre from the ancient city. Celano reflourished and was once again governed by the Berardi family.
After a series of struggles between the Angevins
Angevin Empire
The term Angevin Empire is a modern term describing the collection of states once ruled by the Angevin Plantagenet dynasty.The Plantagenets ruled over an area stretching from the Pyrenees to Ireland during the 12th and early 13th centuries, located north of Moorish Iberia. This "empire" extended...
and Aragonese
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
, in the 15th century the family of Berardi was dethroned by the family of the Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
of Pienza
Pienza
Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
, allied to the Aragonese, who governed the city and its county. Celano was incorporated into the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
till 1860, except during the years associated with the Napoleonic era
Napoleonic Era
The Napoleonic Era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative Assembly, and the third being the Directory...
and the Parthenopean Republic. In the year 1591, the Piccolomini
Piccolomini
Piccolomini is the name of an Italian noble family, which was prominent in Siena from the beginning of the 13th century onwards. In 1220, Engelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor Frederick II as a reward for services rendered...
family sold the County of Celano to Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Early life:The chronicler Andrija Zmajević states that Felice's family originated from modern-day Montenegro...
. The city was at times also governed by the Savelli
Savelli
thumb|300px|The Coat of Arms of the Savelli over a wall of the church of [[Santa Maria in Aracoeli]], [[Rome]].The Savelli were a rich and influential Roman aristocratic family who rose to prominence in the 13th century and became extinct in the main line with Giulio Savelli .The family, who held...
and Sforza families and was damaged by earthquakes in the years 1695, 1780, 1915 and 2009.
From the year 1860, Celano belonged to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
.
Main sights
The square Piccolomini Castle, with round towers at the corners, was erected in its present form on the top of the San Vittorino Hill. Its construction was commissioned by Count Pietro Berardi around the year 1392, and was finished around 1451. In 1463, it was adapted by the order of Antonio Piccolomini. On January 13, 1915, the castle was seriously damaged by a terrible earthquake that destroyed many villages in the area. The restoration began 25 years later, in 1940, but was interrupted because of the Second World War and was resumed only in 1955, with completion in 1960. Today, the castle hosts the Museum of Sacred Art of the Marsica. The beautiful castle is easily recognisable driving on the highway A25Autostrada A25 (Italy)
The Autostrada A25 Roma–Pescara is a motorway which allows travel from Rome to Pescara in Italy. Along with the A24 it is also named the Autostrada dei Parchi . It runs through beautiful scenery from the A24 near Torano, past the Fucine Lake and Avezzano, through the Appennines and the valley of...
Rome - Pescara.
Celano is home to three churches with 13th century facades in the style of those of L'Aquila.
Notable people
Celano is the birthplace of the Blessed Thomas of CelanoThomas of Celano
Thomas of Celano was an Italian friar of the Franciscans , a poet, and the author of three hagiographies about Saint Francis of Assisi.Thomas was from Celano in Abruzzo...
, born between the years 1185 and 1190, and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, and of the classical pianist Nazzareno Carusi
Nazzareno Carusi
Nazzareno Carusi is an Italian pianist. He studied under Alexis Weissenberg and Victor Merzhanov.-Biography:Nazzareno Carusi was born in Celano, Abruzzo.In 1993 he began teaching as the youngest assistant of Viktor Merzhanov...
.
External links
- :it:Immagine:Celano con Castello Piccolomini.jpg
- Picture of Castello Piccolomini
