Montescaglioso (
Montese
Montese ( Frignanese: ) is a town in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
During World War II, the town was liberated by Brazilian forces on 17 April 1945, after three days of battle against German forces.
There are neighborhoods in th ...
: ) is a town and ''
comune'' in the
Province of Matera,
Basilicata
it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman)
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...
, southern
Italy.
The economy is mostly based on agriculture, including production of renowned oil and wine, as well as traditional food.
Historically, it was the centre of a county in the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
.
History
The first settlements in the area date from the 7th century BC, belonging to the
Apuli Italic tribe. The original nucleus of Montescaglioso grew substantially in the following centuries, thanks to trade with the nearby
Greek town
Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.
History
The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Istanb ...
of
Metaponto. When the latter decayed in
Roman times, Montescaglioso further increased in importance. Archaeological findings include a large tuff wall dating from the 3rd century BC.
After the decline of the Western Roman Empire, Montescaglioso is mentioned first only in early medieval times. A
Byzantine stronghold, it was captured by the
Normans after the year 1000, and housed an important
Benedictine community. Under the
Angevin and
Aragonese dynasties of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, it belonged in sequence to the D'Avalos,
Orsini, Loffredo, Grillo and Cattaneo feudal families.
Territorial abbacy of San Michele Arcangelo di Montescaglioso
The Benedictine
Territorial Abbey
A territorial abbey (or territorial abbacy) is a particular church of the Catholic Church comprising defined territory which is not part of a diocese but surrounds an abbey or monastery whose abbot or superior functions as ordinary for all Ca ...
(i.e. exerting diocesan authority over itself and the surrounding territory, instead of resorting under a bishop) of San Michele Arcangelo, exists at least from 1078 and was probably built in the 5th century. The Norman lord
Humphrey of Hauteville and his son Rudolph made large donations to the abbey, which flourished until the 15th century. Afterwards it decayed due to numerous wars ravaging the country in those years. The Abbey Church (12th century), dedicated to St. Michael, has a notable portal and a Norman-style bell tower with
mullioned windows. Renewed starting from 1590, it received a cylindrical cupola in 1650.
It lost its autonomous prelature status on 5 August 1910, when it was united (as a mere title) with the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Acerenza–Matera, but since its split the abbacy is united with the Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Matera.
Other sights
* Mother Church (1776), rebuilt in late Baroque style over a pre-existing medieval structure. In the aisles are four canvasses by
Mattia Preti. There is also a 15th-century panel of the ''Madonna with Child''.
* Church of St. Stephen (11th century)
* Church of St. Lucy (11th century)
* Church of ''Madonna della Muova'' (11th century) and ''Madonna delle Grazie'' (1065).
* 16th century churches of St. Roch, St. Augustin, '.
See also
*
Humphrey of Hauteville
*
Robert, Count of Montescaglioso Robert (died July 1080) was the first Norman count of Montescaglioso.
Robert had a brother, Geoffrey of Conversano. Their mother was a sister of Duke Robert Guiscard.
Along with his brother Geoffrey and his cousins, Abelard and Herman, Robert wa ...
*
Rudolf, Count of Montescaglioso Rudolf (also ''Rudolph'', ''Ralph'', or ''Raoul'', called ''Maccabeus'', ''Maccabeo'', or ''Maccabees''; died 1108) was the second Norman count of Montescaglioso from the death of his father Robert in 1080.
During the three-year period between the ...
*
Henry, Count of Montescaglioso
Henry (before 1144–1173×77), born Rodrigo according to Hugo Falcandus, was an alleged son of the Navarrese king García Ramírez and his wife, Margaret of L'Aigle, and brother of the Sicilian queen dowager Margaret, who made him Count of Mon ...
References
External links
*
GigaCatholic, on the territorial abbeyTourism and most important sights*
ttp://www.parcomurgia.it/index.asp "Murgia Materana" ParkGAL BradanicaCEA
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Cities and towns in Basilicata
Hilltowns in Basilicata