Barrafranca (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: Convicinum, Calloniana) is a ''
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 ...
'' and city in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, southern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the
Province of Enna
Enna ( it, Provincia di Enna; sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy.
It was created in 1927, out ...
.
A Roman fortification known as Calloniana, in 1529 it was founded by Pietro Barresi, Prince of
Pietraperzia, and took the current name from the Barresi family. Pietro was the first Marquis of Barrafranca. His sister married Conrado Branciforte, count of Mazzarino, whose family took possession of the town.
Dizionario geografico dei comuni della Sicilia e delle frazioni comunali
by Giuseppe di Vita; Editor: F Pravata, Palermo; 1906; page 24.
Sights include the Duomo of Barrafranca (18th century, in late Sicilian Baroque
Sicilian Baroque is the distinctive form of Baroque architecture which evolved on the island of Sicily, off the southern coast of Italy, in the , when it was part of the Spanish Empire. The style is recognisable not only by its typical Baroque c ...
style ) with a painting attributed to Filippo Paladino
Filippo Paladino (1544 -1614) was an Italian painter.
Biography
He was born near Florence in Tuscany and remained there until circa 1586 when he was imprisoned and subsequently exiled to Malta. From there, he moved to Sicily where he was active ...
, and the Benedictine Monastery, another example of late Baroque architecture. The church of Santa Maria dell'Itria houses an ''Annunciation'' painted by Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John.
Life
Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...
. Finally, the church of Maria Santissima della Stella also has interior artworks.
References
Municipalities of the Province of Enna
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