Mezzojuso
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mezzojuso (Sicilian: Menzijusu or Menziuso [1] ) is a comune (municipality) in the Province o Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, locatit aboot 34 kilometre (21 mi) sootheast o Palermo. As o 31 Dizember 2004, it haed a population o 3,003 an a aurie o 49.4 square kilometre (19.1 sq mi).[2]
Mezzojuso | |
|---|---|
Comune | |
| Comune di Mezzojuso | |
  Mezzojuso Location o Mezzojuso in Italy | |
| Coordinates: 37°52′N 13°28′E | |
| Kintra | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Province o Palermo (PA) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 49.4 km2 (19.1 sq mi) |
| Population (Dec. 2004) | |
| • Total | 3,003 |
| • Density | 61/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 90030 |
| Diallin code | 091 |
Mezzojuso borders the follaein municipalities: Campofelice di Fitalia, Cefalà Diana, Ciminna, Godrano, Marineo, Villafrati.
Mezzojuso means in Arabic: “Mensel Jusuph” which translates in Inglis tae “Hooses or ‘hamlet’ o Joseph”. It coud be translatit intae Italian an aw, meanin "Haufwey doun" acause the toun is locatit haufwey doun the hill.
A small Saracen (Arab) settlement from about A.D. 10th Century, passed into Norman hands in 1091. Then the christian population erected the small church of S. Maria delle Grazie. The town and all the neighbouring area was granted by the Norman king Roger (Ruggerio) II, to the Monastery of Saint John the Hermit, of Palermo in 1132. The village was nearly depopulated in the early 15th century. The Monastery of Saint John granted settlement to 48 families of Albanian soldiers, under the command of Demetrius Reres.[3] The first Albanians who settled there were the said Reres with his two sons, leading three battalions of soldiers. King Alfonso of Aragon granted him permissioion to settle in the area and appointed D. Reres as a governor, with a decree of 1st Sept. 1448. Reres and his units had already served Alfonso and helped him to conquer Calabria, as Alfonso recognizes.[4]
The first settlers frae the Balkans foond the local kirk o Santa Maria delle Crazie ruined an suin rebuilt it. Wi a contract o 1501 wi the Palermo releegious authorities, they undertook the restoration o the kirk, the donation o olive ile an wax an iverything needit for the rituals that haed tae be executit accordin tae the Greek rite (l' ordini loro Greco)(sic) bi Greek priests. The commonty increased in population an bi 1529 they established a fraternity.
The Reres faimily wis ane o the bigger o the commonty. Till early 17t hunderyear, 11 bodies wi this name are notit in the archives. Apairt frae the aforemntioned Demetrios, thare wur Georgios an Basileios Reres (sons of Demetrios) an aw, Theodoros (in 1605 wis caiptain o 452 stratioti ("greci militari albanesi")(sic) in Mezzojuso), Loukas an Andreas, sons o Theodoros (officers, an aw), Agnes Rere (mither o Andreas), Andreas (the benefactor o the churches), Lucina (Andeas' wife) an Georgios (Laitin Catholic priest, "greco d' origine")(Siderides, 1928, p. 167).
In 1601 the admeenistrator wis an Andrea Reres, a stryndant o Demetrius Reres.[5] A. Reres dee'd in 1609 an wis buriet in the kirk o S. Maria delle Grazie. A Laitin an Greek inscription o 1752 in the kirk commemorates his name an the restoration wirks. In 1609 a Basilian monastery wis foondit bi Reres wi the provision that the Greek rite wad be uised.[5] In 1630 syne thare wur nae Basilian Albanie monks aicht monks frae Crete wur brocht, causin the reaction o the local Italian nobility, which accusit thaim as schismatics an false monks.[5] The monastery wis abandoned bi the mid 19t hunderyear.
The maist significant local event happens afore Easter, wi the "Mastru Campu" ("maestro di campo" in Italian) which taks place on the last Sunday o Carnival, juist afore the stairt of Lent.
The municipality's economy is based mainly on the cultivation o tradeetional crops like hard wheat, sulla, an extra virgin olive ile, which is producit frae auld an new olives, an on the breedin o sheep, cattle an goats.
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