Gaetano Filangieri, 7th Prince of Satriano and 2nd Duke of Taormina (8 February 1824 – 29 November 1892) was an art historian and collector who founded the Museo Civico Filangieri. He lived in the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

and then in the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

Early life

Filangieri was born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

on 8 February 1824 into the prominent Neapolitan noble Filangieri family. He was the only son of Carlo Filangieri, 6th Prince of Satriano, 1st Duke of the Cardinal, 1st Duke of Taormina and Agata Moncada di Paternò

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

del Bosco. His paternal uncle was the illustrious

Gaetano Filangieri Gaetano Filangieri (22 August 1753 – 21 July 1788) was an Italian jurist and philosopher. Filangieri was born in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, in the Kingdom of Naples. He was born the third son of a sibship of the noble family of Filangieri, wh ...

of the Princes of Arianello.

Career

An avid art collector, he inherited the titles of Prince of Satriano in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

and Duke of

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

upon his father's death on 9 October 1867. Filangieri was committed to the study of the city's history, and was strongly linked to the Neapolitan Society of National History (), today housed in the

Castel Nuovo Castel Nuovo (; ; 'New Castle'), often called Maschio Angioino (; ; ' Angevin Keep'), is a medieval castle located in front of Piazza Municipio and the city hall ( Palazzo San Giacomo) in central Naples, Campania, Italy. Its scenic location and ...

, of which he was a very active member and served as vice president. He was also a prolific author of articles on historical-artistic subjects. He was also a director of the ''

Consulta Araldica The ''Consulta Araldica'' () was a college instituted by royal decree on 10 October 1869 to advise the Italian government on noble titles, coats of arms and related matters. It was a department of the Ministry of the Interior, combining the roles o ...

''.Guido Fagioli Vercellone
FILANGIERI, Gaetano
in ''

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' () is a biographical dictionary published in 100 volumes by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1960 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biographies of distinguished Italia ...

'', vol. 47,

Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani a ...

, 1997. In 1883, he purchased the façade of the Palazzo Como, which was due to be partially demolished to open up Via Duomo. The façade was moved back twenty meters in line with the road axis. Filangieri also paid for the renovation of the building's interior. He also decided that it would be the building where all the works of art he had collected would be placed. The building was donated to the Municipality to be used as a museum, which was inaugurated in 1888 as the Museo Civico Filangieri, of which he was president. His work was pursued by his grand-nephew Riccardo Filangieri di Candida Gonzaga.

Personal life

Filangieri was a Knight Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem and of Order of Saint Januarius and a Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Ferdinand. Filangieri died in Naples on 29 November 1892. After his death, his estate was divided between his two surviving sisters and the two daughters of his sister who predeceased him. The succession to the titles of Prince of Satriano and Duke of Taormina went to the De Riseis family, through his niece, Maddalena Guevara Suardo di Bovino, the daughter of his eldest sister Carolina. His other surviving sister, Teresa, had married Vincenzo Ravaschieri Fieschi, Duke of Roccapiemonte.

References

{{authority control 1824 births 1892 deaths

Gaetano Gaetano (anglicized ''Cajetan'') is an Italian masculine given name. It is also used as a surname. It is derived from the Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from ''Caieta''" (the modern Gaeta). The given name has been in use in Italy since medieval per ...

Italian art historians 07 02 Kingdom of the Two Sicilies people