San Cataldo (
Sicilian: ''San Catallu'' or ''San Cataddu'') is a
Sicilian town and ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' in the
province of Caltanissetta
The province of Caltanissetta (; or ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Caltanissetta'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the southern part of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 20 ...
, in the southwestern part of the island of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
.
Geography
San Cataldo rises in an internal hilly area, located at 625 meters above sea level, which extends north of the town, between the municipalities of
Serradifalco,
Mussomeli
Mussomeli (''Mussumeli'' in Sicilian language, Sicilian) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy.
History
Mussomeli is claimed to have been founded in the 14th century by Chiaramonte, Manfredo III Chiaramonte wit ...
,
Caltanissetta
Caltanissetta (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Cartanissètta)'' is an Italian comune with a population of 58,012 inhabitants, serving as the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta, free municipal consortium of Caltanissetta in Sicily.
The earl ...
, located within the Sicilian Solfifero plateau, an ancient area mining. It is 63 km from
Agrigento
Agrigento (; or ) is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento.
Founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, Agrigento, then known as Akragas, was one of the leading cities during the golden ...
, 9 km from Caltanissetta, 50 km from
Enna
Enna ( or ; ; , less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has e ...
, 150 km from
Ragusa Ragusa may refer to:
Places Croatia
* Ragusa, Dalmatia, the historical name of the city of Dubrovnik
* the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa
* Ragusa Vecchia, historical Italian name of Cavtat, a t ...
. It is crossed by a single river, the "Salito", formed by springs that arise from the slopes of Mount Schiavo near the town of
Santa Caterina Villarmosa. The inhabited area extends into the plateau located between Portella del Tauro and Babbaurra, rich in partially drinkable water wells.
History
Near
Vassallaggi there is evidence of human settlements dating back to the 6th-5th century BC.
The current inhabited center has relatively recent origins. It was a barony, then a municipality, founded by Prince Nicolò Galletti in 1607, requesting a license from the King of Sicily Philip III on 18 July (licentia populandi). The license allowed the ancient Calironi farmhouse (in Sicilian Caliruni and Greek Kalyroon) to be built and populated, located within the barony of Fiumesalato. The reasons that pushed the prince to make the request were of a political nature, as he obtained titles and privileges and acquired the right to sit in the military "arm" of the Sicilian Parliament. The economic aspect also played a non-marginal role.
The village grew thanks to immigration from nearby towns, such as Sutera, Mussomeli, Petralia, and also from more distant ones, such as Gangi, Castrogiovanni and Caltanissetta.
In 1623 the town had 722 inhabitants; in 1651 there were approximately 1,607. Eighteen years later, in 1669, ecclesiastical sources report a population of 2,490 inhabitants. In 1699 3,066 inhabitants lived there. In 1921 the town had 23,486 inhabitants.
The village took its name from
Catald
Catald of Taranto (also Cataldus, Cathaluds, Cathaldus, Cat(t)aldo, Cathal; fl. 7th century) was an Irish monk.
Biography
Cataldus was born in Munster and became the disciple and successor of Mo Chutu of Lismore, Carthage in the famous School ...
, or San Cataldo in Italian. He was an Irish monk who lived in the seventh century and came to south Italy after his ship was wrecked off the coast near
Taranto
Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.
Founded by Spartans ...
.
Education
In the past, education was entrusted to the local clergy and lessons were taught in the convent of the
Mercedarian order
The Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives (, abbreviated O. de M.), also known as the Mercedarians, is a Catholic mendicant order established in 1218 by Peter Nolasco in the city of Barcelo ...
. The school system was structured into two study cycles: primary and secondary. The school was attended mainly by the children of nobles and wealthy families, and to a lesser extent by the children of peasants and artisans.
Today, San Cataldo is home to a public art high school, the only state school with an artistic focus in the province of Nissena. Formerly a state art institute, it was founded in 1963 and named after the
Messinese architect
Filippo Juvara.
San Cataldo is also home to a vocational institute for agriculture and the environment, a technical-commercial institute, and a socio-psychopedagogical high school of the diocese of Caltanissetta.
See also
*
Catald
Catald of Taranto (also Cataldus, Cathaluds, Cathaldus, Cat(t)aldo, Cathal; fl. 7th century) was an Irish monk.
Biography
Cataldus was born in Munster and became the disciple and successor of Mo Chutu of Lismore, Carthage in the famous School ...
, Irish monk and saint
References
External links
San Cataldo Selected Civil Records (Marriages and Deaths)Cathedral of San Cataldo
Municipalities of the Province of Caltanissetta
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