Giuseppina Vadalà () ( Messina, 1824–

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, October 7, 1914) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

Biography

Revolutionary activity

Giuseppina Vadalà fought together with her sister Paolina during the

Siege of Messina A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

, the revolt for Italian unification that took place in Messina on September 5, 1848. Messinese by birth, she was the daughter of the patriot Pietro Vadalà and wife of Orazio Nicosia, another fighter who joined the revolt against the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. Giuseppina had three children: Totò, Orazio, and Bianca. When her elder son Totò grew up, he decided to move to Naples, where he threw himself heart and soul into the cause of Italian unification. When her daughter Bianca was grown to womanhood, she married Giovanni Bovio, a noted philosopher and

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. The Italian government awarded Vadalà the

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

for her part in pro-unification battles during the years 1848–1849 and 1860.

Castroreale and Cristo Lungo

According to the historical account that describes the tradition of the Messinese religious feast of ''Cristo Lungo'' in

Castroreale Castroreale ( Sicilian: ''Castruriali'') is a village in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. It has around 2,702 inhabitants but over 80 churches, with some houses dating to the 13th century. It is from Barcellona Pozzo di ...

, Giuseppina Vadalà moved to that municipality in 1854, because her husband Orazio Nicosia got a job there. Soon after they had arrived in Castroreale, Vadalà became ill with cholera due to a severe

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

in Messina where she had contracted it. All her strength was ebbing away to the point of death. It was then that her husband went onto the balcony of their house and knelt in prayer before the statue there, which bore the image of crucified Jesus. Right after this occurrence Vadalà rallied and regained her health, and for the people of Castroreale it was a miracle. Orazio Nicosia donated twenty gold '' oncia''s for outfitting the statue. From that August 25 onward, the feast of the Crucified Jesus was consecrated in the town.

South America and death

Later on, Giuseppina Vadalà emigrated to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, to the country of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. She died on October 7, 1914 in

. The historical accounts lament the lack of interest in honoring her shown by the municipality of Messina at her death. It was limited to a mention of her in the city bulletin for the month of November. On the other hand, in South America Vadalà had a procession with great funerary honors celebrated by the Italian community residing in Chile and with the presence of politicians and diplomats of the two countries. The eulogy was given by one Professor Noè, recalling her virtue and acts of valor. She was laid to rest in the Chilean mausoleum of the Italian Society.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vadala, Giuseppina Italian people of the Italian unification Italian revolutionaries People from Messina People from Santiago Italian emigrants to Chile Women in 19th-century warfare 19th-century Italian women Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor 1914 deaths 1824 births

Biography

Revolutionary activity

Castroreale and Cristo Lungo

South America and death

See also

Notes