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The Castello di Maniace (or ''Castello Bronte'' and ''Castello dei Nelson'' 'Castle of the Nelsons') is a
The Castello di Maniace is situated on the left bank of the River Saraceno on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria of Maniace, built in 1174 by the 
The Castello di Maniace (or ''Castello Bronte'' and ''Castello dei Nelson'' 'Castle of the Nelsons') is a manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
built on the site of a former ancient monastery 3 km south of the centre of the small village of Maniace
Maniace (Italian: ''Maniace''; Sicilian: ''Maniaci'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about northwest of Catania.
The municipality bears the nam ...
and 8 km north of the large town of Bronte, on the eastern foothills of Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...
. From 1799 to 1981 it was the seat of the Dukes of Bronte, English noblemen, the first of whom was Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
(1758–1805), in 1799 created Duke of Bronte
The Dukedom of Bronte ( ("Duchy of Bronte")) is a dukedom with the title Duke of Bronte (), referring to the town of Bronte, Sicily, Bronte in the province of Catania, Sicily. It was granted on 10 October 1799 at Palermo to the British Royal Navy ...
by King Ferdinand III of Sicily and Naples. In 1981 the manor house and large estate was sold to the Commune of Bronte by Alexander Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport
Alexander Nelson Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport, 7th Duke of Bronte (born 17 March 1948), known as Alex Bridport, is a British investment banker, resident in Geneva, Switzerland.
Early life
He is the only son and heir of Rowland Hood, 3rd Viscoun ...
(born 1948), 7th Duke of Bronte, descended from the daughter of William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson
William Nelson, 1st Earl Nelson, 2nd Duke of Bronte (20 April 1757 – 28 February 1835), was an Anglican clergyman and an older brother of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson.
Life
Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe, into a family that ha ...
(1757–1835) 2nd Duke of Bronte, elder brother and heir of Admiral Nelson.
Abbey of Santa Maria of Maniace
The Castello di Maniace is situated on the left bank of the River Saraceno on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria of Maniace, built in 1174 by the Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
William II of Sicily
William II (December 115311 November 1189), called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. From surviving sources William's character is indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from hi ...
("The Good"), King of Sicily
The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which oc ...
from 1166 to 1189 (seated at Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
) and husband of Princess Joan of England (1165–1199), a daughter of King Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
(1154–1189) of England. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
(Santa Maria), by the express wish of his mother Queen Margaret of Navarre
Margaret of Navarre (, , ) (c. 1135 – 12 August 1183) was List of Sicilian royal consorts, Queen of Sicily as the wife of William I of Sicily, William I (1154–1166) and the regent during the minority of her son, William II of Sicily, William ...
, in memory of the great Battle of Maniace in 1040, won near the site by Giorgio Maniace against the Arabs
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
.
References
{{coord, 37.8588, 14.8183, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Maniace Buildings and structures in Sicily Monasteries in Sicily Horatio Nelson Manor houses