Acerenza (
Lucano: ) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' in the
province of Potenza
The Province of Potenza ( it, Provincia di Potenza; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are ...
, in the Southern Italian region of
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
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.
History
With its strategic position above sea-level, Acerenza has been sacked by a series of invaders.
The town, then known as ''Aceruntia'', ''Acheruntia'' or ''Acherontia'', was conquered by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
in 318 BC. Later, it was taken by the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
(it was mentioned as an important fortress during the
Gothic Wars) and then the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
, who fortified the town. In 788
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
ordered that its walls be destroyed. In 1041, after a period in which it was fought over by the
Principality of Salerno
The Principality of Salerno ( la, Principatus Salerni) was a medieval Southern Italian state, formed in 851 out of the Principality of Benevento after a decade-long civil war. It was centred on the port city of Salerno. Although it owed al ...
and the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, it was conquered again by the
Norman Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard (; Modern ; – 17 July 1085) was a Norman adventurer remembered for the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily. Robert was born into the Hauteville family in Normandy, went on to become count and then duke of Apulia and Calab ...
.
The town has been the
see of an
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
since at least 499, when a Justus is known. According to legend, the town's first bishop was appointed by
St. Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupation ...
.
From the 16th century, Acerenza was held under the feudal lordship of the
Marquess of Galatone
Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone (Marchese o Marchesa di Galatone) was a noble title created by the Kings of Spain for Stefano Squarciafico, Patrician of Genoa, on 29 June 1562, and inherited according to Spanish nobiliary law. The title i ...
, that family being granted the title
Duke of Acerenza
Prince of Belmonte ( it, Principe di Belmonte; es, Príncipe de Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria ...
on 12 April 1593 by
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
. Through marriage the duchy of Acerenza was inherited by the family of the
Prince Belmonte, in whose line the title has descended to the present day.
Main sights
*
Acerenza Cathedral
Acerenza Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Acerenza, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e San Canio'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Canius in the town of Acerenza, in the province of Pote ...
, begun in 1080 by archbishop Arnando. In Romanesque-Gothic style, it houses a famed marble bust of
Julian the Apostate
Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplat ...
. It has a nave and two aisles with 16th century canvasses, and a crypt from 1524.
*The church of ''San Laviero Martire'' (12th century). It has a Baroque-style stone high altar with an altarpiece of the ''Martyrdom of Saint Laviero'' (18th century).
References in popular culture
The movie''
From the Vine
''From the Vine'' is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Sean Cisterna.Barry Hertz, "From the Vine is worth sipping, if only for Joe Pantoliano's drunk-on-life performance". '' The Globe and Mail'', July 10, 2020. Based on the novel ''Finding ...
'' is set in Acerenza.
References
External links
Cities and towns in Basilicata
Hilltowns in Basilicata
{{Basilicata-geo-stub