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(in the original text) |
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How many churches has Bronte had?
Very many and of ancient origin.
Think that the Settlement Bronte, even during the Islamic
domination, while all other settlements had only one church or none, had already
several churches.
Think that in 1174 thirty two
were the churches of the district on which had jurisdiction the Benedictine
monastery of Maniace, constructed by will of Margherita di Navarra.
And only a century before, according to a census by an Arab
Governor, in the various settlements in Bronte's territory the inhabitants
paying taxes were 1659 of which 994 Islamic and
664 Christian (already then there were several churches
in Bronte while the other Casali had only one).
Strange people that of Bronte, often violent, rebellious, quarrelsome but,
although was living in grave hardship, always found the money and the energy to
fight against the infidels and build new churches.
A people, the brontese, with a deep rooted tradition of cult, that
resisted the Islamic domination with an always large clergy of high
formation and always lined up in defense of the population and, rare thing, with
an ancient habit to study (in the XV century there was already a school
for the people in rooms adjacent to the Annunziata church.
In the XIII century, according to a reckoning,
the population of the
Casale Bronte only, subjected to pay taxes was 500 inhabitants (un hundred "fuochi",
fires).
The reunion of the Casali (1535 – 1548) brings the population
from 500 to 3.500 inhabitants. Not many but in few years were erected in
Bronte another ten beautiful churches and three convents, even if the
Municipality did not own any grounds as had been all usurped, in 1494 by
Papa Innocenzo VIII who gave them in endowment, completely free,
to the "Grande e Nuovo poor men Hospital" of Palermo, being built then.
Besides those that still exist, of many other churches nothing is known for
certain.
Many were submerged by the Etna lava; of others only few wrecks remain
to testimony something. |
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Benedetto Radice, in his "Memorie storiche di Bronte",
talks of about thirty churches disappeared of which there is little
historical documentation a part some gaunt description and very few images.
Also, about those councils there is very little
documentations on their year of foundation and the same Radice
takes as a certain reference to the existence of the churches the "Liber
visitationis" of Mons. Ludovico I. De Torres, bishop of
Monreale who visited Bronte in September 1574.
We give now a synthetic list of some churches disappeared for general
negligence or completely destroyed by earthquakes or the lava of mount
Etna happening frequently during the centuries and also (seems
unbelievable) by building speculation (the old
Church of Madonna del
Riparo).
As a brontese historian writes, "where there is a temple, a church
there is an aggregation of men town, village, farmhouse and the
history of the towns, of the villages intertwines with the history of
the churches origin".
The churches of Santa Maria di Gollia, San Mauro, S. Nicolò De
Petra (in
Santa Nicolella district) and San Marchetto (with an
annexed hospice) were dependant to the Monastery of S. Filippo di
Fragalà.
Other churches of Norman epoch, placed in the districts
Corvo, Rotolo and Santa Parasceve, are mentioned in a
privilege of
Nicolò I°, archbishop of Messina.
Tradition preserved in 18° century writings mentions other four
churches found in Bronte by king Ruggero: the church of
San Marco on the hillock of the same name, that of
Salvatore between San Marco and the Ciapparo
district, that of S. Giorgio, which was near the ossuary
of the present cemetery (was shaped like Greek cross with frescos on
the walls and the date of 1121) and the church of Santa Maria
or
Chiesa Maggiore which was in the district of the SS. Trinità.
Besides the rural churches of the districts Cattaino, Carbone,
Bolo, Scalavecchia, Placa Baiana, Spanò, Ricchisgia, the Radice
remembers those:
of S. Isidoro in district
Barbaro (which probably was a parish),
of
S. Nicolò Castellaci (shaped as a Greek cross),
of
Santa Maria della Scala (in district Piana, called also
Santa Maria
dell’Odigitria, patron saint of the Albanian colony),
of
Cristo alla Colonna (near the Simeto river).
Were covered by the lava of the 1651 the
churches of
Sant'Antonino,
of S. Pietro dell’Illichito (in district
Brignolo) and of Purgatorio.
"Which and how many churches – concludes
Benedetto Radice - could exist in the ancient, original
Bronte...other than district of fifty straw stacks!".
During the centuries Bronte changed many times its
membership Diocese.
Till 1178 Bronte depended from Messina, from 1178 to 1801
passed under the dependence of Monreale, and then went back to Messina
until 1817.
After a short period in which depends to Nicosia diocese (1817-1844)
passes definitively under the present Catania diocese. |
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The old Church of Madonna del Riparo |
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The rural San Michele church of the ancient Casale di Placa
Bajana. Its inhabitants were the last to move to Bronte (from 1692
to 1730). |
The last church of Bronte, dedicated to Saint Agata, has
replaced the ancient little church of
San Nicolò in the Sciarotta District |
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