Oria, Italy
Encyclopedia
Oria is a town and comune
in the Apulia
region, in the province of Brindisi
, in southern Italy
. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria
.
(Uria
) or Hyrium, a city in ancient Messapia
and one of the principal Messapian
cities. It was located just north of the ancient town Manduria
, at some distance southwest of Brundisium, and southeast of Taras
/Tarentum
; corresponding to the location of the modern town.
According to Herodotus
(7.170), it was founded by the Messapians (who according to Herodotus were originally Cretans
) sometime after the abortive siege of the Sicanian city Camicus. Between 217 and 84 BC the city was minting
its own coins
. The coins often feature Iapagus, the Iapygian national hero.
Hyria was conquered by the Romans. It was destroyed in AD 924 and 977. In 1266, Oria was besieged by Manfred of Sicily
.
. Jewish scholarship in Oria included the study of philosophy
, the Talmud
, languages such as Greek
and Latin
, and medicine
and natural sciences. It was home to Shabbethai Donnolo
, one of the first Hebrew writers who was native to Europe.
Ten scholars in the community were killed when Arabs under Abu Ahmad Ja'far ibn 'Ubaid conquered Oria in 925. This was the beginning of the end of Jewish presence in Oria; the last relic
was an epitaph
produced in 1035. It is likely, however, that Jews were living in Oria until the fifteen century.
was born in Oria in 913.
The neoclassisictic
writer Francesco Milizia was born in Oria in 1725.
, Germany
. Miekinia
, Poland
. Sarteano
, Italy
.
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 Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
region, in the province of Brindisi
Province of Brindisi
The Province of Brindisi is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. Surrounded by vineyards and artichoke fields, Brindisi is a major sailing port for the southern part of Italy....
, in southern 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...
. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oria
The Italian Catholic diocese of Oria is in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Taranto.-History:It would appear that Oria, in early times, had bishops of its own, because there is a record on a slab in the cathedral, dating from the eighth or ninth century, in which there is mention of...
.
History
In classical times, Oria was known as HyriaHyria
Hyria may refer to:*Hyria , an ancient town in Boeotia.*Hyria , an ancient town in Campania, a short distance east of Nuceria Altaferna.*Hyria, a principal Messapian town in ancient Messapia, corresponding to the modern town Oria....
(Uria
Uria
Uria is a genus of seabirds in the auk family known in Britain as guillemots, in most of North America as murres, and in Newfoundland and Labrador as turr. These are medium-sized birds with mainly brown or black plumage in the breeding season...
) or Hyrium, a city in ancient Messapia
Messapia
Messapia may refer to:* The ancient region occupied by the extinct Messapii tribe* The modern region of Salento, roughly equivalent to the ancient region* Messapia, Greece...
and one of the principal Messapian
Messapii
thumb|220px|Messapic ceramic, Archaeological Museum of [[Oria, Italy|Oria]], Apulia.The Messapii were an ancient tribe that inhabited, in historical times, the south-eastern peninsula or "heel" of Italy , known variously in ancient times as Calabria, Messapia and Iapygia...
cities. It was located just north of the ancient town Manduria
Manduria
Manduria is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Taranto. With c. 30,000 inhabitants, it is located 35 km east of Taranto, and 14 km north of the coast.-History:...
, at some distance southwest of Brundisium, and southeast of Taras
Taras
Taras may mean:* Taras, ancient city of Magna Graecia, modern Taranto.* Taraš, a village in Vojvodina, Serbia.* Taras , the son of Poseidon and of the nymph Satyrion....
/Tarentum
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
; corresponding to the location of the modern town.
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
(7.170), it was founded by the Messapians (who according to Herodotus were originally Cretans
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
) sometime after the abortive siege of the Sicanian city Camicus. Between 217 and 84 BC the city was minting
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
its own coins
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
. The coins often feature Iapagus, the Iapygian national hero.
Hyria was conquered by the Romans. It was destroyed in AD 924 and 977. In 1266, Oria was besieged by Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
.
Main sights
- Castle, mostly the result of modifications from the early 13th century under Frederick II of HehenstaufenFrederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick 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...
and, later, under the AngevinesCapetian House of AnjouThe Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
, who added two cylindrical tower. - Gate of the Jews (Italian: Porta degli Ebrei).
- Cathedral Basilica, built from 1750 over a pre-existing building damaged by an earthquake. The interior houses numerous paintings from the 17th to the 20th century. The exterior is commanded by the large polychrome dome.
- Church of St. Domininic, built from 1572. The interior has Baroque paintings, while also notable is the cloister of the annexed convent.
- Church of St. Francis of Paola (late 16th century).
- Church of St. John the Baptist, originally built in the 14th century but later included in a large Baroque edifice in the 17th century.
- Grotto church of Madonna della Scala.
- Bishop's Palace (16th century)
Jewish presence
Oria had one of the oldest Jewish communities in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Jewish scholarship in Oria included the study of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, languages such as Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and natural sciences. It was home to Shabbethai Donnolo
Shabbethai Donnolo
Shabbethai Donnolo was an Italian physician, and writer on medicine and astrology born at Oria. When twelve years of age he was made prisoner by the Arabs under the leadership of the Fatimite Abu Ahmad Ja'far ibn 'Ubaid, but was ransomed by his relatives at Otranto, while the rest of his family...
, one of the first Hebrew writers who was native to Europe.
Ten scholars in the community were killed when Arabs under Abu Ahmad Ja'far ibn 'Ubaid conquered Oria in 925. This was the beginning of the end of Jewish presence in Oria; the last relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
was an epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
produced in 1035. It is likely, however, that Jews were living in Oria until the fifteen century.
People from Oria
Jewish scholar and writer Shabbethai DonnoloShabbethai Donnolo
Shabbethai Donnolo was an Italian physician, and writer on medicine and astrology born at Oria. When twelve years of age he was made prisoner by the Arabs under the leadership of the Fatimite Abu Ahmad Ja'far ibn 'Ubaid, but was ransomed by his relatives at Otranto, while the rest of his family...
was born in Oria in 913.
The neoclassisictic
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
writer Francesco Milizia was born in Oria in 1725.
Twin cities
LorchLorch (Württemberg)
Lorch is a small town situated in the Ostalbkreis district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Rems, 8 km west of Schwäbisch Gmünd.Friedrich Schiller lived here as a child between 1764 and 1766....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Miekinia
Miekinia
Miękinia may refer to the following places in Poland:*Miękinia, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Miękinia, Lesser Poland Voivodeship...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Sarteano
Sarteano
Sarteano is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 100 km southeast of Florence and about 60 km southeast of Siena....
, 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...
.
External links
- Official Oria tourist site
- Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Oria
- Video Tournament Medioeval of Oria – and Meteo Oria