San Giovanni Gemini (
Sicilian: ''San Giuvanni'') 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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
Province of Agrigento
The Province of Agrigento ( it, Provincia di Agrigento; scn, Pruvincia di Girgenti; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Agrigento'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy, situated on its south-western coast. Follo ...
in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
region
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, located about southeast of
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
and about north of
Agrigento
Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one of ...
.
History
Originally, the town was called San Giovanni di Cammarata due to the closeness of the eponymous mountain. In 1879, the name was changed into San Giovanni Gemini after the two equally high hills in the area known as "i gemelli" (twins).
The town was founded in 1451 by the Count of Cammarata, Federico Abbatelli Chiaramonte when he obtained the privilege of building new lands (''Ius aedificandi''); it wasn't until 1507, though, that he obtained from
King Ferdinand II of Aragon permission to populate the land (''licentia populandi'')
San Giovanni was elevated to a duchy by Count Ercole Branciforte, who was invested with the title of duke by
King Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Kingdom of Portugal, 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, K ...
; the royal privilege was granted on 10 November 1587 and made official in Palermo on 15 May 1588. Under his ownership, the duchy underwent a substantial economic and demographic growth which led him to separate the territory into two parts named Cammarata and San Giovanni.
The Duchy of San Giovanni passed as a dowry to the Moncada family in 1666 following the marriage in that year of Duchess Giovanna Branciforte Moncada (1645-1680). She was invested as the owner of the fiefdom on 18 February 1656 alongside her maternal uncle Ferdinando Moncada Gaetani, son of Ignazio of the princes of Paternò.
In 1708, the town was bestowed to Count don Luigi Moncada, whose family ruled San Giovanni and Cammarata until the abolition of feudality in 1812, the year when feudalism was abolished in Sicily. The abolition was a result of the new Sicilian Constitution
granted by
King Ferdinand III of Bourbon.
Industry
Situated on the slopes of Cammarata mountain, San Giovanni Gemini's industry has an agrarian bias with the focus on cereals, citrus fruits, olives, almonds, beans and fruit. Cattle breeding and sheep farms are flourishing while the local handicrafts are characterised by wooden, wrought iron, and ceramic objects. There are numerous rock-salt mines and sand quarries in the area.
Local sights
San Giovanni Gemini's rich history and Catholic heritage are reflected in a number of local sights. The seventeenth century Chiesa Madre is a particular highlight: dedicated to S. Giovanni Battista, it contains a wooden crucifix and an urn both of which have been dated back to 1700. In addition, the town contains two other religious highlights in the Chiesa del Carmine and the nearby sixteenth century convent.
San Giovanni Gemini borders the municipality of
Cammarata
Cammarata is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Agrigento on the eponymous mountain, which has an elevation above sea level in a territor ...
.
References
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Cities and towns in Sicily