| Comune di Norcia | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Umbria |
| Province | Perugia (PG) |
| Mayor | Nicola Alemanno (since June 2004) |
| Elevation | 604 m (1,982 ft) |
| Area | 274 km² (106 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| - Total | 4,695 |
| - Density | 17/km² (44/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Nursini |
| Dialing code | 0743 |
| Postal code | 06046 |
| Frazioni | see list |
| Patron | St. Benedict |
| - Day | March 21, July 11 |
| Website: www.comune.norcia.pg.it | |
Norcia is a town and comune in the province of Perugia (Italy) in southeastern Umbria, located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a subrange of the Apennines with some of its highest peaks, near the Sordo River, a small stream that eventually flows into the Nera. In Italy, the comune, (plural comuni) is the basic Administrative division of both provinces and regions and may be properly approximated in The Province of Perugia (Provincia di Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Umbria is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Perugia. The Sordo River is a small watercourse of eastern Umbria in Italy. The Nera is a 116 km (72 mile long River which flows almost entirely in Umbria, Italy. The town is thus popularly associated with the Valnerina (the valley of that river).
The area is known for its air and scenery, and is a base for mountaineering and hiking. It is also widely known for hunting, especially of the wild boar, and for sausages and ham made from wild boar and pork, to the point that Norcia has given its name to such products: in Italian, norcineria.
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History
Traces of human settlement in Norcia's area dates back to the Neolithic Age. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos
The town's history begins with settlement by the Sabines in the 5th century BC. The Sabines ( Latin Sabini, Singular Sabinus) were an Italic tribe that lived in ancient Italy, inhabiting The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. It became an ally of ancient Rome in 205 BC, during the Second Punic War, when it was known in Latin as Nursia, but the earliest extant Roman ruins date from around the 1st century. Events By place Seleucid Empire Returning via the Persian provinces of Arachosia, Drangiana, and Carmania The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC and were probably the largest wars yet of the ancient The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar.
St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monastic system, and his twin sister St. Scholastica, were born here in 480. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in Saint Scholastica (c 480 - 547 is a Catholic Saint. Born in Italy, she was the Twin sister of St Events By Place Europe Odoacer defeats an attempt by Julius Nepos to recapture Italy, and has Julius killed In the following century the city was conquered by the Lombards, becoming part of the Duchy of Spoleto. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in Central Italy by the Lombard Dux Faroald. In the 9th century it suffered from Saracen attacks, which started a period of deep decadence. Saracen was a term used by Europeans in the Middle Ages for Fatimids at first then later for all who professed the religion of Islam.
In the 11th century, it was part of the domain of St. Henry, Holy Roman Emperor. In the 12th century Norcia became an independent commune within the Papal territories, with an increasing political and economical prestige. The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa The collaboration with the Benedictine abbey in Preci led to the creation of the Schola Chirurgica: the latter's studies allowed Norcia's to improve their swines breeding capacities. Preci is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 60 km southeast of Perugia Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times However, the vicinity of the powerful Spoleto and the 1324 earthquake thwarted the city's ambitions, and in 1354 it returned definitively under the Papal authority. For the festival in South Carolina see Spoleto Festival USA. Spoleto ( Latin Spoletium) is an ancient city in the
Main sights
The older core of Norcia is almost flat, which is relatively unusual among the towns of Umbria, and completely enclosed by a full circuit of walls that has survived intact from the 14th century, despite many earthquakes of which several were devastating (1763, 1859, 1979). Year 1763 ( MDCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) After the earthquake of August 22, 1859, the Papal States, to which Norcia then belonged, imposed a stringent construction code forbidding structures of more than 3 stories and requiring the use of certain materials and building techniques. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa
Many other Roman vestiges are observable throughout the city, especially in the walls of San Lorenzo, its oldest extant church.
The main basilica is dedicated to St. Benedict, still attached to a functioning Benedictine monastery. Though the present edifice was built in the 13th century, it stands on the remains of one or more small Roman buildings, sometimes considered to have been a Roman basilica, or alternately the actual house in which the twin saints were born. The façade, in Gothic style, is characterized by a central rose window and relief portraying the four Evangelists. Inside, the fresco of the Resurrection of Lazarus, (1560) was painted by Michelangelo Carducci. Michelangelo Carducci was a 16th century Italian painter of the Renaissance period active in Umbria. The altar in the left hand transept houses a St Benedict and Totila (1621) by Filippo Napoletano. Filippo Napoletano ( Teodoro Filippo de Liagno) ( Naples c 1587 – Rome November 1629 was an Italian artist with a peculiar output mainly
The Renaissance church of Santa Maria Argentea is the Duomo, or cathedral, and houses some works by Flemish masters, a richly decorated altar by Duquesnoy, a Madonna and Saints by Pomarancio, and a St. Duomo is a generic Italian term for a Cathedral church The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a François Duquesnoy ( Brussels, January 12, 1597 &ndash July 12, 1643 in Livorno) was a prominent Baroque sculptor Niccolò Circignani (c 1530/1535 - c 1590 was an Italian painter of the late- Renaissance or Mannerist period Vicenzo Ferrer and the Infirm (1756) by Giuseppe Paladini.
The Gothic church of Sant'Agostino (14th century) has many votive frescoes of St Roch and St Sebastian. History 1928 - constructed in North Vancouver British Columbia, Canada at Burrard Dry Dock Shipyards 1929-1939 - supplied Saint Sebastian (traditionally died January 20, 287 was a Christian Saint and Martyr, who is said to have been killed while the Roman emperor San Francesco is from the same century: it has a notable portal, surmounted by a Gothic rose window, with pink and white stone decorations.
A fortress, the Castellina, was built in 1555-1563 as the residence of the Papal governors, under design by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. Giacomo (or Jacopo) Barozzi (or Barocchio) da Vignola, often simply called Vignola ( October 1 1507 - July It now houses a small museum with Roman and medieval artifacts, and documents of the Middle Ages and later periods.
In the frazioni near the town proper, are
- The pieve of San Salvatore, at Campi, with two rose windows and two portals of different ages. Also in Campi is the parish church of St. Andrew, with an original triangular loggiato. Loggia is the name given to an Architectural feature originally of Italian design which is often a gallery or Corridor generally on the ground
- The frazione of Savelli houses the ruins of Madonna della Neve, an elegant octagonal building designed by Bramante and destroyed by the 1979 earthquake. Donato Bramante (1444 – March 11, 1514) was an Italian Architect, who introduced the Early Renaissance style to Milan and the High Renaissance
- In San Pellegrino is the convent of Santa Maria di Montesanto (14th century), now in poor conditions. It has a noteworthy cloister, a church with 17th century canvasses and a 14th century wooden statue portraying the Madonna with Child.
Frazioni
Agriano, Aliena, Ancarano, Biselli, Campi, Casali di Serravalle, Case sparse, Castelluccio, Cortigno, Forca Canapine, Forsivo, Frascaro, Legogne, Monte-Cappelletta, Nottoria, Ocricchio, Ospedaletto, Pescia, Pie' la rocca, Piediripa, Popoli, San Marco, San Pellegrino, Sant'Andrea, Savelli, Serravalle, Valcaldara. A frazione, in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a Comune; for other Administrative Castelluccio is a village in Umbria in the Apennine Mountains, central Italy.
Serravalle (Serravalle di Norcia) lies on the Sordo River a few hundred meters upstream from its confluence with the Corno. The Sordo River is a small watercourse of eastern Umbria in Italy. The Corno River is a small watercourse of the northern Lazio and eastern Umbria in Italy.
See also
External links
- Norcia Town's official site (Italian)
- Monastery of St. Benedict
- Information about Norcia (Italian)
- Storia e informazioni su Norcia (Italian)
- Norcia.Net Town's tourist site (Italian)
- UmbriaTurismo (Italian)
- Bill Thayer's site
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