Sant'Angelo Muxaro (; scn, Sant'Àngilu Muxaru or , aae, Shënt'Ëngjëlli) is a ''
comune'' (municipality) in the
Province of Agrigento in the
Italian region
Sicily, located about south 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. The town was founded and historically inhabited by the
Arbëreshë community.
History
Four
gold and
silver bowls dating from 650 to 600 BC were found in a tomb in the vicinity of the village in the 18th Century. Only one
gold bowl remains, now in the
British Museum's collection. The BM's phiale is decorated with 6 striding bulls and has become a symbol of Sant'Angelo Muxaro.
Following the
Ottoman invasion of Albania in the late fifteenth century, the present town was colonized by Albanian refugees. The centre of the town was founded in 1506
with further building in 1511. The town retained a distinct Italo-Albanian or ''
Arbëreshë'' culture for many years. In the early 17th century the town was still an ''Arbëreshë'' settlement but now the
Arbëresh language
Arbëresh (, also known as ''Arbërisht'', ''Arbreshi'', ''Arbërishtja'' or ''Tarbrisht'') is the variety of Albanian spoken by the Arbëreshë people of Italy. It is derived from the Albanian Tosk spoken in Albania, in Epirus and is also sp ...
has disappeared from usage.
In 1600, the barony was acquired by the Princes of Castelvetrano, D'Aragona and Tagliavia and finally came under the jurisdiction of Pignatelli, Dukes of Monteleone, who kept it until 1812, when feudalism was suppressed in Sicily.
Geography
Sant'Angelo Muxaro borders the following municipalities:
Agrigento,
Alessandria della Rocca,
Aragona,
Casteltermini,
Cattolica Eraclea,
Cianciana,
Raffadali,
San Biagio Platani,
Santa Elisabetta.
References
External links
Official website
Arbëresh settlements
Cities and towns in Sicily
Populated places established in 1506
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