Contessa Entellina ( sq, Kuntisa) is a small ''

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

Metropolitan City of Palermo The Metropolitan City of Palermo ( it, Città metropolitana di Palermo; scn, Cità metrupulitana di Palermu) is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. It replaced the Province of Palermo and comprises the city o ...

, in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , 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 re ...

. Is located in the "Valle del Belìce" at above sea level in the mountains called ''Brinjat'', is situated 80 km from Palermo. The country, along with Piana degli Albanesi and

Santa Cristina Gela Santa Cristina Gela ( Arberesh: ''Sëndahstina'') is an Arbëreshë village in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily. The village, along with Contessa Entellina and Piana degli Albanesi, is one of three Arberesh settlements in Sicily wher ...

, is among the three

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

communities of

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name * Arbëresh ...

of Sicily, who still speak Albanian, carefully preserve the Orthodox rite, the Albanian costumes, musical and gastronomic traditions of the ancient

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

History

The foundation is attributed to about 1450 on the ruins of a remote farmhouse seniority, the "Comitissa", but the chapter officers, the granting of fiefs, were built in 1520, when he start the rebuilding, upgrading and restocking of Albanians from

and subsequently also by the southern

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...

, from Albanian communities where they lived from 1300. In ancient times it was near them the ancient

Elymian The Elymians ( grc-gre, Ἔλυμοι, ''Élymoi''; Latin: ''Elymi'') were an ancient tribal people who inhabited the western part of Sicily during the Bronze Age and Classical antiquity. Origins According to Hellanicus of Lesbos, the Elymians ...

city of ''

Entella Éntella (Greek language, Greek: ), was an ancient city in the interior of Sicily, situated on the left bank of the river Hypsas (modern Belice), and nearly midway between the two seas, being about 40 km from the mouth of the Hypsas, and ...

'', in fact, with the discovery of archaeological ancient site, to give relief to the old site, you would add the name of the country, even the term Entella. Today Contessa Entellina keeps the

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...

, the culture of their ancestors, and holds the

Byzantine rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. Th ...

(or Greek rite); but lives a very difficult period. From earthquake of Belice to date have followed many migrations, halving the population and depopulating the city center, the Albanian language is also taught to fewer and fewer young people so the community is constantly lost and stolen the identities.

People

Nicola Chetta Nicola Chetta, ( Arbërisht: Nikollë Keta; 12 July 1741 – 15 December 1803) was an Arbëresh writer and priest. He was born in Contessa Entellina Contessa Entellina ( sq, Kuntisa) is a small ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Paler ...

(1741–1803), Byzantine-Greek rite priest, ethnographic, writer and poet. *Antonino Cuccia (1850–1938), popular poet whose work represent an important testimony of Arbëresh spoken in Contessa Entellina. * Vaccaro brothers *Lorenzo Tardo (1883–1967),

Basilian Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to: * Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...

priest and scholar of Byzantine music. *Vincenzo Scramuzza (1886?–1956), historian. *Leonardo Lala (1906–2000), writer and expert on Arbëreshë language, history, and folk traditions. * Giuseppe Schirò (junior) *Matteo Sciambra (1914–1967), Byzantine rite priest, university professor and writer, whose work focuses on the study of Arbëresh and on the preservation of the Byzantine

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

heritage of the Arbëreshë communities in Sicily. * Bino (singer) (1953–2010), pop singer

References

External links

Official website
Arbëresh settlements Elymians Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo {{Sicily-geo-stub

History

People

See also

References

External links