Mezzojuso (
Sicilian: ''Menzijusu'' or ''Menziuso'',
Arbëreshë: ''Munxifsi''
) is a ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in the
Metropolitan City of Palermo
The Metropolitan City of Palermo (; ) is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. It replaced the province of Palermo and comprises the city of Palermo and 82 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It has 1,194,439 in ...
in the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
region
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, located about southeast of
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 ...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,003 and an area of .
[All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.]
Mezzojuso borders the following municipalities:
Campofelice di Fitalia,
Cefalà Diana,
Ciminna,
Godrano,
Marineo,
Villafrati.
History
Mezzojuso means in
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: “Manzil Yusuf” (منزل يوسف) which translates in English to “Houses or 'hamlet' of Joseph.
A small
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
(Arab) settlement from about A.D. 10th Century, passed into
Norman hands in 1091. Then the Christian population erected the small church of ''S. Maria delle Grazie''. The town and all the neighboring area was granted by the Norman king
Roger (Ruggerio) II, to the Monastery of Saint John the Hermit, of
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 ...
in 1132. The village was nearly depopulated in the early 15th century. The Monastery of Saint John granted settlement to 48 families of
Albanian soldiers, under the command of
Demetrius Reres.
The first Albanians who settled there were the said Reres with his two sons, leading three battalions of soldiers.
King Alfonso of Aragon permitted him to settle in the area and appointed D. Reres as a governor, with a decree of 1 September 1448. Reres and his units had already served Alfonso and helped him to conquer
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
, as Alfonso recognizes.
The first settlers from the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
found the local church of Santa Maria delle Grazie ruined and soon rebuilt it. With a contract of 1501 with the Palermo religious authorities, they undertook the restoration of the church, the donation of olive oil and wax and everything needed for the rituals that had to be executed according to the
Byzantine rite
The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...
by priests. The community increased in population and by 1529 they established a fraternity.
The Reres family was one of the biggest in the community. Till the early 17th century, 11 persons with this name are noted in the archives. Apart from the aforementioned Demetrios, there were also Georgios and Basileios Reres (sons of Demetrios), Theodoros (in 1605 was captain of 452 stratioti (in Sicilian: ''"greci military albanesi"'') in Mezzojuso, Loukas and Andreas, sons of Theodoros (officers, too), Agnes Rere (mother of Andreas), Andreas (the benefactor of the churches), Lucina (Andeas' wife) and Georgios (Latin Catholic priest).
In 1601, the administrator was an Andrea Reres, a descendant of Demetrius Reres.
A. Reres died in 1609 and was buried in the church of S. Maria delle Grazie. A Latin and Greek inscription of 1752 in the church commemorates his name and the restoration works. In 1609, a
Basilian monastery was founded by Reres with the provision that the Greek rite would be used.
In 1630, as there were no Basilian Albanian monks, eight monks from
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
were brought, causing the reaction of the local Italian nobility, which accused them of schismatics and false monks.
The monastery was abandoned by the mid-19th century.
Local life
The most significant local event happens before Easter, with the "
Mastru Campu" ("maestro di campo" in Italian) which takes place on the last Sunday of Carnival, just before the start of Lent.
Reflecting the town's mixed
ethnoreligious heritage, Mezzojuso is home to two historic Catholic mother churches both dating to the 16th century: the Latin-rite parish Church of Maria Santissima Annunziata and the Byzantine Greek-rite parish Church of San Nicolò di Mira.
The municipality's economy is based mainly on the cultivation of traditional crops like hard wheat, ''sulla'', and extra virgin olive oil, which is produced from old and new olives, and on the breeding of sheep, cattle and goats.
Demographic evolution
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Notable people
*
Nicola Figlia, folklorist and translator
References
Bibliography
*Buccola Onofrio (1909) La Colonia Greco-Albanese di Mezzojuso: origine, vicende e progresso.
*Buccola Onofrio (1912) Nuove recerche sulla fondazione della Colonia Greco-Albanese di Mezzojuso.
*Buccola Onofrio (1914) Mezzojuso e la Chiesa di Santa Maria: nuovi documenti storici.
*Siderides S.A. (1928) The epirotic family of Rere (Η Ηπειρωτίς οικογένεια Ρερέ), ''Epirotica Chronica'' (Ηπειρωτικά Χρονικά), vol.3, pp. 160–168. In Greek language.
External links
Mezzojuso 1820-1860 birth recordsMezzojuso Heritage Pages
{{authority control
Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo
Arbëresh settlements