HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Butera ( Sicilian: ''Vutera'') is an Italian town and a '' comune'' in the
province of Caltanissetta The Province of Caltanissetta ( it, provincia di Caltanissetta; scn, pruvincia di Nissa or ; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Caltanissetta'') is a province in the southern part of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilia ...
, in the southern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the ''comuni'' of Gela,
Licata Licata (, ; grc, Φιντίας, whence la, Phintias or ''Plintis''), formerly also Alicata (), is a city and ''comune'' located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River (the ancient ''Himera''), about midway between Agr ...
, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It has a population of 4,653 (2017) and is from Caltanissetta, the province's capital.


Etymology

The etymology of the name ''Butera'' is debated. One hypothesis is that the name is of Arabic origin. Butera was called ''Butirah'' by the Arabs, which means "steep place". The Arabic demonym ''al-Buthayri'' was used to refer to a person from Butera (Arabic: ''Buthayr''). Butera is also a common name of people in Rwanda (East Africa) where most of men and boys are given this name as a sign of strength. Another would suggest that the name "Butera" is of Greek origin, and several contemporary scholars tend to reject the Arabic theory of Butera's etymology. This is upheld by Giovan Battista Pellegrini, who claims that "The Arabic form for Butera, always with the interdental, should be an indication of a Greek etymon with / d / (the etymological assumptions from Arabic do not satisfy)". Upholders of a Greek origin for the Butera have suggested that the word may come from ''bothèr'' (shepherd),
Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani The Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani (Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies; CSFLS) is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the studies of ancient and modern Sicilian. Founded in 1951, it has its seat ...
, “Bollettino” n. 1–2, p.96, 1953, taken fro

/ref> ''boutherès'' (country which permits for summer pasture), ''boutyros'' (butter merchant) or ''bouteron'' (butter). B. Pace himself has asserted that the term, aside from ''boutherès'', may derive also from the Byzantine, Graeco-Byzantine word ''patela'' (plain), which refers to Butera's location.


Archaeology

In the area of "Piano fiera" (a new neighborhood built below the old town) where a prehistoric necropolis still stands, is a construction called "dolmen cysts" made of stone slabs assembled in cubiform manner (a style found also throughout Sardinia). Used also in the Greek period, the monument is associated with cult practices, both Hellenic and indigenous, and characterised by the positioning of human remains inside urns (Gk: enchytrismόs) which, in turn, were placed inside these small chambers. The history of this territory, at the time of Greek colonization, is not documented by ancient historians, and can only be reconstructed on the basis of archaeological research. Until the eighth century BC the tombs of ''Piano fiera'' do not show any relationship with the Greek area, but starting from the second half of the seventh century they were associated with rich grave goods imported from Greece.


History

The origins of Butera date back to the Early Bronze Age. During the 6th century BC, the town—then likely the
Omphace Omphace or Omphake ( grc, Ὀμφάκη) was an ancient Sicanian town in the Greek territory of Gela, and is one of very few cities we know from literary sources to have been in this territory. Various scholars have identified modern Butera as anci ...
described by Pausanias—was abandoned and was rebuilt only during the period of Timoleon, shortly after the middle of the fourth century BC It was, however, a small village inhabited by farmers, subject to external aggression throughout the early Middle Ages. Butera, being situated close to Gela, one of the most prominent ancient Greek cities of Sicily under
Magna Graecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these re ...
, was itself settled by Greeks, especially from Crete. The dialect spoken in the region was
Doric Greek Doric or Dorian ( grc, Δωρισμός, Dōrismós), also known as West Greek, was a group of Ancient Greek dialects; its varieties are divided into the Doric proper and Northwest Doric subgroups. Doric was spoken in a vast area, that included ...
. Butera was captured by the Aghlabids during the Muslim conquest of Sicily, following a 5-month siege in 853. Out of the three valli of Sicily, it was part of the ''Val di Noto'', in the southeastern corner of the island. Following the fall of Butera to the Normans in 1091, the town's Muslim leaders were resettled in
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
to prevent them from fomenting rebellion among the rest of the population. However, a mosque in the town is recorded even in the 12th century, as with certain other Sicilian cities such as
Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
,
Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...
, Segesta and Alcamo. It was one of the last Muslim strongholds to fall, due to stubborn resistance, and was described as "one of the strongest outposts of anti-Norman sentiment." A notable Buteresi of the Norman period was 12th century poet and
Quran reciter The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammed ibn 'Umar al-Buthayri, who wrote: "No life can be serene, save that in the shadows of sweet Sicily." Following Butera's conquest by the Normans, it became an important Lombard town and indeed was the capital of the prominent under the
Aleramici The House of Aleramici were a medieval Italian noble family of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern counties and marches, in Piedmont and Liguria from the tenth to the 14th centuries. History The founder of the family was William I of ...
, a noble Northwest Italian family of Frankish origin, as well as the Alagona, an
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
ese family, from 1089 to 1392. Settlers from
Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
(including
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
, Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna) as well as
southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
migrated to the county, which is reflected in the presence of Gallo-Italic dialects which are still spoken in certain Sicilian towns such as Piazza Armerina and Aidone. Butera itself was re-populated with
Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
ns from southern Germany following its destruction by William I as a reaction to anti-monarchical resistance in 1161. In 1392, the Alagona family lost possession of the County following their defeat by
Martin I Martin I may refer to: * Pope Martin I (c. 590/600–655), bishop of Rome 649–655 * Martin I (bishop of Oviedo) (died 1101) * Martin I (archbishop of Gniezno) (died after 1112) * Martin I of Aragon (1356–1410) * Martin I of Sicily (1374/6–14 ...
, and was passed to the Catalan prince Ugo of Santapau. In 1543,
Ambrogio Santapau Ambrogio Santapau was a 16th-century Sicilian nobleman. Originally, marquis of Licodia, a title he inherited from his father Porzio, in 1563 King Philip II of Spain granted him the first title of a prince in Sicily as ''prince of Butera''. He had l ...
was nominated Prince of Butera, after defeating Hayreddin Barbarossa, the Ottoman pirate. Up until the 19th century, this was Sicily's main feudal title. In Butera, 12–13% of the population carries the sickle-cell trait, and its prevalence amongst the town's citizens is believed to be due to selective pressure against malaria. While some sources claim that it was introduced by the Muslim conquerors, other scientific studies claim that it was brought by the Greeks. At present, approximately 7% of the surnames in the city (457 out of 1,732) are attributed to a possible Hellenic origin.


Main sights

* Arab-Norman Castle: from the 9th century * Cathedral: dedicated to Saint Thomas and found in the Piazza Duomo, it was built in the 16th century. * Sanctuary of San Rocco: built in the 18th century * Necropolis of Piano della Fiera: in use until the 6th century BC and the Hellenistic phase, its origins date to prehistoric times * ''Porta Reale (Royal Gate)'': given this name because it was entered by Norman count Roger I with a troop of Lombard soldiers * ''Piazza Dante'': the city's main square, with the town hall and the Church of S. Giovanni (St John) * San Francesco: oldest church in the town, it was founded by the first Norman Christians and became a church of Franciscan friars.


References and notes

* This article contains information translated from the Italian Wikipedia article


Twin cities

* Gevelsberg, Germany *
Gambellara Gambellara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is northwest of European route E70. Gambellara is known for its wine production. The area has one DOC classified wine, Gambellara classico and Recioto de Gambella ...
, Italy


External links

{{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Caltanissetta 4th-century BC establishments in Italy 6th-century BC disestablishments 1st-millennium BC disestablishments in Italy