First historical documents
During its long history Bronte was subjected, like all Sicily, to
invasions and occupations from the Greeks in the 8th century before
Christ, and the Romans in the 3rd century BC first, then during the
Christian Era, invasions from the Byzantines of the East, from the
Sarazins of the South, from the Normans of the North and from the
Aragoneses of the West. The Arab occupation of Sicily lasted over 200
years from the 827 to the year 1091.
Since the beginning of the second millennium, the territory of Bronte
was claimed as own property by the neighboring Benedictine Monks of
Maniace's Abbey Santa Maria, and the citizens were bound to pay heavy
taxes to their masters.
In 1491 the Cardinal Rodorigo Borgia, Abbot of
Maniace's Abbey and future Pope Alexander VI, donated the territory of
Bronte to the Pope Innocent VIII. The Pope, on his turn, elected as
beneficiary of the offer the New Hospital of Palermo.
In so doing the
Pontiff put the territory of Bronte in the hand of the King of Sicily.
The people of Bronte did protest but were unable to reverse the
situation.
Bronte Duchy of Horatio Nelson
In 1799 Ferdinand IV of Naples and Sicily, saw a good opportunity to
get rid of the problematic Dominion. The British
Admiral Horatio
Nelson, in June of that year had helped the King to fight and win the
French aggression against Naples. The Kingdom was saved and the Throne
also. As a reward, on the 13 August 1799, the birthday of Queen
Caroline, the King conferred to the Admiral the title of Duke, (Royal
Secretariat of Palermo Doc. N. 4178, File N. 27), and made him the
owner of the Dominion of Bronte with all the properties and
dependencies. Bronte itself was elevated to the title of Duchy on the
10 October 1799, (State Archives of Palermo, Year 1799-1800, Vol. 7,
File 1-5).
The people of Bronte, who had never accepted any previous feudal
masters, reacted strongly against the new Duke. Horatio Nelson, on his
part, had never and would never set foot in Bronte, his Feudal
Territory.
The Duchy Nelson of Bronte lasted 7 generations. At the
death of the Admiral (1805), the Duchy passed to his brother Reverend
William Nelson (1805-1835), then to Dame Charlotte Marie (1835-1874),
the daughter of William, married to Samuel 2nd Baron of Bridport. From
them the Duchy passed to their eldest son General Alexander 1st
Viscount and 3rd Baron Bridport (1874-1904), and from him to his son
Honorable Sir Alexander Nelson Hood (1904-1937).
From Sir Alexander
the Duchy passed to his nephew Lieutenant Commander 3rd Viscount and
5th Baron Bridport (1937-1969). Alexander Nelson Hood Junior, the son
of the Lieutenant was the 7th and the last Duke of Bronte (1969-1980).
The Duke Alexander Nelson Hood Junior in 1977 at the age of 28 decided
to sell the properties of Bronte. The vast rural land was partitioned
and sold to the peasants of Maniace.
The Castle, the surrounding
garden and the ancient Abbey Santa Maria were acquired by the Council
of Bronte. All the contracts were signed by the beginning of 1980 and
since then Maniace has become an independent municipality.
Bronte in the world
Ironically it was that ambiguous promotion of the Admiral Horatio
Nelson that made Bronte renown to the world. In the middle of the
1800, in honor of the Admiral,
 the name of Bronte was given to a vast
property acquired by the barrister and politician Robert Lowe 1st
Viscount of Sherbrooke, in New South Wales,
Australia, in the eastern shores of Sydney.
The same name of Bronte was given to an extensive property, situated
in the centre of Tasmania, purchased by Lieutenant Arthur Corbett
between 1834 and 1863.
Lieutenant Corbett was married to a relative of
Lady Emma Hamilton, the mistress of Duke Horatio Nelson, and in honour
of the great Admiral he gave to the property the name of Bronte Park.
Again in Canada, in the Shire of Oakville, the name of Bronte was
given, in honour of the Admiral, to a little centre planted on the
shores of Lake Ontario in 1833. And also in his honour were named the
City of Trafalgar, Bronte Creek and Bronte Harbour.
It was under the
pressure of the settler William Chisholm, who in 1827 had bought acres
of land at the mouth of the Sixteen Mile Creek, that on 30 December
1833 William Hawkins submitted to the Surveyor General plans for a new
town. On 19 August 1834 the name of the new town did appear, for the
first time, as "Bronti" in the Upper Canada Gazette.
In Irland, in 1800, Patrick Prundy, the grandfather of the famous
English Writers: Anne, Emily and Charlotte, in honour of the Admiral
Nelson decided to change his family name in that of Brontë.
Scrupulously he added a dieresis on the last vowel to preserve the
correct Italian pronunciation.
In Texas, 50 kilometres north of San Angelo, a little town was built
in 1888. It was called Bronte in honour of the English Writer
Charlotte Bronte. The name was preferred to that of Bronco.
In 1906
the timber houses of the old Bronte were moved half mile northeast to
be placed near the east-west railway, which was under construction.
In New Zealand, on the extreme north of the southern island, near the
city of Nelson a little town is called Bronte.
The Virgin Annunciate patron of Bronte
It is documented in a census conducted by the Emir of Catania,
during the Arab occupation of Sicily, that in 830 of our era Bronte
counted 994 Muslims and 664 Christians, a total of 1658 people (Airoldi
Vol 1, page 291: The population in Sicily).
By 1535 the population had dropped as low as 250 souls, due to some
natural events: earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but mostly caused
by plagues and famine.
Many people had died and many others had left
the unsafe centre and taken refuge into poor hamlets in the midst of
the etnean woods.
In October 1535 the Emperor Charles V, in his way back from a campaign
against the Turks in Tunisia, visited Bronte. He was surprised and
shocked at the miserable situation of those poor people. He decided
then that all the people living dispersed in the neighbouring hamlets
should go back to their original centre of Bronte.
To promote the
unification the Emperor left in the little centre his friend and councillor Noble Nicola Spedalieri, son of Joaquin of the Hospitallers
of Saint John in Jerusalem, Earl of Cessole in North of Italy. Also he
sent a letter of recommendation to the Governor of Randazzo, under
which jurisdiction was placed the Territory of Bronte: “Commendo
tibi tuguria Brontis”.
The Noble Nicola Spedalieri, contravening the suggestions of the
Government of Randazzo, refused to use constriction to achieve the
goal set by the Emperor, he trusted instead the deep religious
feelings of the brontese people.
In 1540 Nicola Spedalieri went to Palermo and commissioned from the
renown Sicilian sculptor Antonino Gagini
a group of statues in marble
representing the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.
The contract was
signed the 21st January 1540 in the office of Notary Giacomo Dimitri
(Mons. Gioacchino Di Marzo: I Gagini e la
Scultura in Sicilia). The price was agreed
at 48 ounces, which were the equivalent of 100,000 Euros at today
conversion.
The statues arrived in Bronte in 1543 and since their
arrival many prodigies were reported. Attracted by the miraculous
images, the people of the surrounding hamlets started moving toward
the centre. By 1548 the population of Bronte had reached the number of
2815 souls (Census by the Viceroy De Vega).
Bronte and the Spedalieri
After the unification of the centre, Noble Nicola Spedalieri
settled in Bronte, and his descendants kept giving their active
contribution to the development of the city, to its economical growth
and to its cultural promotion.
Following the creation of the Municipal Councils in 1820, the first
elected Mayor of Bronte, was: Gioacchino Spedalieri, son of Nicola
Antonino, descendent of Noble Nicola.
In 1885 another Nicola
Spedalieri, son of Gaetano, was Mayor of Bronte, and again in 1893. In
1894 his cousin Doctor Arcangelo Spedalieri was elected Mayor of
Bronte.
The philosopher Nicola Spedalieri
By far the most famous of all Spedalieris was the priest
Nicola Giacomo Spedalieri born in Bronte the 6 December 1740. He died in Rome
on 26 November 1795. He was a strenuous Apologist and a Philosopher of
vigorous ingenuity.
During the French Revolution he wrote the book:
"De’ Diritti dell’Uomo”, “The Human Rights”, which made him
famous all over the world (cfr. Robert Bergin: "This Apocalypic Age".
Manchester 1970).
Of him it was said that he was the first to talk
about the rights of the citizens in Italy.
The Philosopher was also an
expert painter, a poet and an appreciated musician and composer. A
self portrait painted by the philosopher is kept in the Collegio
Capizzi's Gallery of Bronte, and his musical compositions are kept in
the Cappella Giulia of Rome.
Bronte has dedicated to the Great
Philosopher the main square of the City.
The University of Catania
bears the name of Nicola Spedalieri, in honor of the Philosopher, and
the Capital of Italy has built a monument to Nicola Spedalieri in
Piazza Sforza Cesarini, not far from the Vatican City.
(In 1994 the book “De’ Diritti dell’Uomo” of Nicola Spedalieri was
translated in English by Bruno Spedalieri. Copies are now deposited at
Sydney University, Faculty of Philosophy, in the Catholic University
of Sydney and in the National and State Libraries. Other copies were
sent to the Vatican Library, to Moscow School of Philosophy and to Las
Cruces University).
Nicola’s nephew: Arcangelo, born in Bronte the 17 April 1779, was an
acclaimed anatomist. At the age of 29 became first surgeon assistant
at the Medical University of Bologna. The following year 1811, at the
age of 30 was nominated Professor of Natural Sciences in the same
University.
The 2nd of October 1819, the Emperor of Austria Francis II
nominated Arcangelo Spedalieri Rector Magnificus of the University of
Pavia. His publications on anatomy and physiology are numerous. He
died at Alcamo in Sicily the 6 May 1823.
People of Bronte
The City of Bronte was endowed with a number of great people other
than the Philosopher and the Anatomist.
Between its sons Bronte counts
a Cardinal: Antonino Saverio De Luca (1805‑1883). Before been elevated
to the cardinalate, De Luca was Counsellor of Propaganda Fide and
Professor at the University of Rome. He was then nominated Apostolic
Nonce of Bavaria and subsequently of Vienna. He was elected Cardinal
the 16 March 1863.
The Bishop of Patti: Giuseppe Saitta (1768‑1838) was also a citizen of
Bronte. He was an excellent orator and was nominated Professor of
Literature and Theology at Monreale Seminar before been elected Bishop
of Patti on 25 February 1834.
Placido De Luca, brother of the Cardinal Antonino, was professor of
Political Economics at the University of Catania and then at the
University of Naples. He has written applauded books on Economical
Sciences, Financial Sciences and Statistics. He died in Paris the 1st
November 1861.
Giuseppe Cimbali (1858‑1924) was Professor of Law at the University
"La Sapienza" of Rome. In 1882 started writing books on Social
Philosophy, on Law and Ethics. He was a devout of the Philosopher
Nicola Spedalieri, whom he did consider a strenuous defender of the
people's rights and sovereignty.
The Venerable Ignazio Capizzi |
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Ignazio Capizzi was born in Bronte the 20 September 1708 from a
poor family. Ordained priest in Monreale the 26 May 1736 started
dedicating his time and energy to the poor people of Palermo. His
activity in the Sicilian Capital earned him the appellative of Apostle
of Palermo.
Nevertheless he didn't forget Bronte. His home town was
still deprived of schools. Consequently the children of poor families
were kept uneducated and they were forced to work in the farms. The
wealthy people were able to send their children to other centers to
study.
At the beginning of 1774 Ignazio Capizzi went to Bronte with
some cash money determined to buy a lot of land and build an
educational centre.
The 1st of May 1774 was lied the first stone of what will
become the majestic and prestigious Collegio Capizzi.
The
cooperation of the people was great. The peasants put their arms at
the service of the holy priest, the reach people gave their financial
contribution.
The 15 October 1778 the doors of the new college opened
to welcome the first students.
With the years Capizzi's College, the first school of Bronte, has
grown in size and in importance. It has functioned as Primary School
first, then as High School and Boarding School. It has become the
Cultural Centre of the region.
Father Ignazio Capizzi died in Palermo the 27 September 1783.
Ten
years later started the process of beatification of the holy priest.
In May 1819 Pius VII declared Ignazio Capizzi Venerable. His mortal
rests are venerated in the Sacred Heart church of the Collegio Capizzi
in Bronte.
Troubles in Bronte
During the nineteenth century the city of Bronte in Sicily was
shaken three times by brutal revolts. The 1st of January 1820 started
the Spanish Revolution against Ferdinand VII; this event lighted the
Sicilian Revolution against Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies.
In Sicily
the revolt created two strong factions: one favoring Spain and the
King of Naples, the other claiming independence and a Sicilian
Monarch. The administrative authority of Bronte was with the second
faction, but the population kept faith in the King of Naples and
revolted against the bureaucrats. General Floristano Pepe had to
intervene sending to Bronte the Captain Gregorio Zuccaro to control
the revolt.
Twenty-five years later, troubles started again. The 16 June 1846 Pius
IX was elected Pope.
The new Pope offered a general amnesty and introduced
reforms to the Pontifical State. |
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Venerable Ignazio Capizzi and the
majestic and prestigious Capizzi College of Bronte |
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His example was followed
by nearly all the Sovereigns of Europe. But Ferdinand II of Naples
refused to carry out any reforms in his Kingdom and held strongly to
his absolute authority. His firm attitude against any constitutional
reform provoked a revolt in Palermo, which started the 12 January
1848.
The Sicilian Parliament went as far as electing a new King of
Sicily in the person of Albert Amadeus of Savoy on the 12 April 1848.
The sound of the revolt echoed in Bronte, where again the events did
create factions, tensions and agitations between the Communards
(Independentists, mostly peasants) and the Ducals (Conservatives,
mostly bureaucrats). But the wind of freedom didn't last.
Ferdinand II
from Naples sent General Filangeri against the Sicilian rebels. The
resistance of Messina was the first to be crashed. Catania was
re-conquered the 6 April 1849 and the 14 April 1849 Palermo was again
in the hands of the Bourbon King Ferdinand.
The third time, it was in 1860, troubles exploded, again and more
violently, in Bronte. The successful expedition of Giuseppe Garibaldi
to Sicily with his one thousand red shirted soldiers, decided to
liberate Italy from the Bourbons, alighted anew the aspirations of the
Brontese people to freedom. They were oppressed with heavy
taxes
imposed by the Commune and by the Duke.
The 2nd August 1860, one
faction of the population revolted angrily and started plundering the
houses of reach people, and chasing employees, lawyers and
administrators of the Municipality and the Duchy. 14 people were
killed in few days.
Garibaldi had to intervene. He sent his field
general Nino Bixio to Bronte. Nino Bixio went to Bronte determined to
settle the matter in the shortest time possible so he could join again
Garibaldi in his way to Naples. The Court Martial was established to
deal with the crimes, and in only four hours of hearing the sort of
five people was decided.
They were sentenced to death by firing squad.
The event shocked deeply the people of Bronte and it is talked about
up to this days. In 1987 a Special Commission was installed to find
out if Bixio had acted with impartiality and sense of justice. Bixio
was acquitted by the Special Commission, but this wasn't good enough
to placate the offended feeling of the Brontese people.
Migrants from Bronte to Australia
There are around 200
migrants born in Bronte living in Sydney,
smaller groups are in Melbourne and Adelaide; another consistent and
active group is in Perth.
According to the information I could gather,
it appears that the first Brontese did arrive in Sydney the 22
September 1926 on the Ship Caprera, they were Mr Carmelo d'Aquino, Mr
Luigi Destro and Mr Salvatore Messina. In 1949 Mr d'Aquino went to
live in Orange and there he did create a wine industry of huge
dimensions bearing his name. Mr D'Aquino died in Griffith NSW in 2002
at the age of 101.
In 1988 the Brontese migrants of Sydney decided to form an
Association, they have called:
Associazione Maria Vergine Annunziata.
A copy of the Gagini group of the Annunciate was commissioned from Micciché Company of Palermo. The statues, in fiberglass did arrive in
Sydney on 19 May 1991 and were placed in the St. Mary's Church of
Concord.
In 1990 I have published the booklet "Bronte, La storia in
breve", which I took to Italy and gave a copy to the then Mayor Dott.
Francesco Spitaleri. I did invite him to Australia and did suggest a
Twinning Celebration between Bronte in Sicily and Bronte of New South
Wales. But his mandate ended in 1991 before he could do anything.
The 16 July 1992 the Archbishop of Catania Mons. Luigi Bommarito, the
Delegate of Catania Province Dott. Francesco Bruno, the new Mayor of
the City of Bronte Dott Gino Anastasi, the Archpriest of Bronte Fr.
Antonino Longhitano, and the Solicitor Domenico Azzia, Director of
“Sicilia Mondo”, have come to Australia to visit the Brontese migrants
of Sydney and Melbourne.
Great celebrations were organized for the
occasion by the Committee of the Association Maria Vergine Annunziata.
The delegation was also warmly welcomed by H. E. Cardinal Edward Bede
Clancy, by H. E. the Lord Mayor of Sydney Frank Sartor, of Italian
origin, and by the Consul General of Italy
in Sydney Dott. Fabio
De Nardis.
I have personally paved the way for a meeting between the
Mayor of Bronte in Sicily and the Mayor of Waverley. The 20 July 1992
the Mayor of Bronte, Mr Gino Anastasi, met the Mayor of Waverley
Municipal Council Mrs Barbara Armitage, in which territory lies the
suburb of Bronte N.S.W..
The two Mayors, in an amicable atmosphere, offered each other some
gifts and discussed the way to encourage friendly correspondence and
implement cultural exchanges between the two Cities. Mention was made
of an eventual future twinning celebration.
In 1993, after another visit to Sicily, I decided to write this "Short
History of Bronte" to allow the Australians and the Italo-Australians
to know better about the relations between Sicily and Australia.
I
have given a copy of the book to the Mayor of Waverley, Mrs. Barbara Armitage. Copies were deposited in the Waverley Council Library the 5
April 1993 in the State and the national Libraries of Sydney and
Canberra. Copies were sent also to the Cities of Bronte in Canada, in
Texas (USA) and Tasmania (Australia).
Bronte'a coat of arms
The Coat of Arms of the City of Bronte in Sicily consists in an
Eagle bearing a Shield marked with the Symbols of the Hamlets which
did congregate together, between 1535 and 1548, with the original
centre of Bronte. The logo reads: "Fidelissima Brontis
Universitas", (Faithful City of Bronte). The origin of
the emblem and the logo is not clearly known.
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REFERENCE |
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Gioacchino Francesco Spedalieri: Gli Spedalieri. Bronte 1977
Bruno Luigi Spedalieri: Bronte, La Storia in breve. Sydney 1988
Sac. Gesualdo De Luca: La Storia di Bronte. Milano 1883
Benedetto Radice: Memorie Storiche di Bronte. Bronte 1925
Mons. Gioacchino Di Marzo: I Gagini e la scultura in Sicilia.
Palermo
Mons. Giovanni Jacono: Il Venerabile Ignazio
Capizzi. Bronte 1934
Francesco Currenti: Il fulgore della Santità. Roma 1989
Vincenzo Schilirò: Nicola Spedalieri. SEI Catania 1939
Giuseppe Cimbali: Nicola Spedalieri. Città di Castello 1888
Philip Brimacombe The Story of Bronte Harbour.
Oakville 1976
A. W. Reed: Place-names of New South Wales. Sydney 1969 |
Researches were conducted by the Author at:
The Bourbon Archives. Collegio Capizzi, Bronte
The Church Archives. Chiesa Matrice, Bronte
State Royal Archives. Palermo, Sicily
Informations were received by the Author from:
Pat Martindale, City Secretary. Bronte, Texas
Judy Henderson. Oakville Historical Society
Mary McRae, Principal Archivist. Hobart |
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