Everything about Enna totally explained
» Enna is also a genus of spiders (
Trechaleidae).
Enna (
Sicilian:
Castrugiuvanni;
Greek: Ἔννα;
Latin:
Henna and less frequently
Haenna) is a city located in the center of
Sicily in the
province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned a few nicknames, such as "belvedere" (panoramic viewpoint) or the "ombelico" (navel) of Sicily.
Enna is the highest provincial capital of Italy.
History
Enna is situated near the center of the island; whence the Roman writer
Cicero called it
Mediterranea maxime, reporting that it was within a day's journey of the nearest point on all the three coasts. The peculiar situation of Enna is described by several ancient authors, and is indeed one of the most remarkable in Sicily. The ancient city was placed on the level summit of a gigantic hill, so lofty as almost to deserve to be called a mountain, and surrounded on all sides with precipitous cliffs almost wholly inaccessible, except in a very few spots which are easily defended, abundantly supplied with water which gushes from the face of the rocks on all sides, and having a fine plain or table land of about 5
km in circumference on the summit, it forms one of the most remarkable natural fortresses in the world.
Archaeological findings dating from the 14th century BC have proved the human presence in the area since
Neolithic times. A settlement from before the 11th century BC, assigned by some to the
Sicani, has been identified at the top of the hill; later it was a center of the
Siculi. In historical times it became renowned in Sicily and Italy for the cult of the goddess
Demeter (the Roman
Ceres), whose grove in the neighborhood was known as the
umbilicus Siciliae ("The navel of Sicily"); the origin of the toponym
Henna remains obscure.
Dionysius I of Syracuse seems to have fully appreciated Enna's importance, and repeatedly attempted to make himself master of the place; at first by aiding and encouraging
Aeimnestus, a citizen of Enna, to seize on the sovereign power, and afterwards, failing in his object by this means, turning against him and assisting the Ennaeans to get rid of their despot. He didn't however at this time accomplish his purpose, and it wasn't till a later period that, after repeated expeditions against the neighbouring Sicilian cities, Enna also was betrayed into his hands. In the time of
Agathocles we find Enna for a time subject to that tyrant, but when the
Agrigentines under
Xenodicus began to proclaim the restoration of the other cities of Sicily to freedom, the Ennaeans were the first to join their standard, and opened their gates to Xenodicus, 309 BC. In the
First Punic War Enna is repeatedly mentioned; it was taken first by the
Carthaginians under
Hamilcar, and subsequently recaptured by the
Romans, but in both instances by treachery and not by force.
In the
Second Punic War, while
Marcellus was engaged in the siege of Syracuse (214 BC), Enna became the scene of a fearful massacre. The defection of several Sicilian towns from Rome had alarmed
Pinarius the governor of Enna, lest the citizens of that place should follow their example; and in order to forestall the apprehended treachery, he with the Roman garrison fell upon the citizens when assembled in the theater, and put them all to the sword without distinction, after which he gave up the city to be plundered by his soldiers. Eighty years later Enna again became conspicuous as the headquarters of the
First Servile War in Sicily (134 BC-132 BC), which first broke out there under the lead of
Eunus, who made himself master in the first instance of Enna, which from its central position and great natural strength became the center of his operations, and the receptacle, of the plunder of Sicily. It was the last place that held out against the proconsul
Rupilius, and was at length betrayed into his hands, its impregnable strength having defied all his efforts. According to Strabo, it suffered severely upon this occasion (which, indeed, could scarcely be otherwise), and regards this period as the commencement of its subsequent decline.
Cicero, however, notices it repeatedly in a manner which seems to imply that it was still a flourishing
municipal town: it had a fertile territory, well-adapted for the growth of corn, and diligently cultivated, till it was rendered almost desolate by the exactions of
Verres. From this time little is known about Enna:
Strabo speaks of it as still inhabited, though by a small population, in his time: and the name appears in
Pliny among the municipal towns of Sicily, as well as in
Ptolemy and the
Itineraries.
After the fall of the
Western Roman Empire, it continued to flourish throughout the Middle Ages as an important
Byzantine stronghold. In 859, in the course of the
Islamic conquest of Sicily, the town was taken by Muslim troops, who had to sneak in one by one through a sewer to breach the town's hardy defenses. Their name for the city,
'Qas'r Ianni' (Fort of John), was a combination of "qas'r" (a corruption of the Latin "castrum", fort), and "Ianni", a corruption of "Henna". The name in the native dialect of Sicily remained Castro Janni (Castrogiovanni) until the renaming by order of
Mussolini in 1927. The
Normans captured her in 1087.
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, established a summer residence here.
Enna had a prominent role in the
Sicilian Vespers that lead to the Aragonese conquest of Sicily, and thenceforth enjoyed a short communal autonomy. King
Frederick III of Sicily favored it and embellished the city; it however suffered a period of decay under the Spanish domination. It was restored as provincial capital in the 1920s. It has become a university city in 2002.
Enna in Classical Mythology
The neighborhood of Enna is celebrated in mythological story as the place from whence Proserpine was carried off by
Pluto. (
Ovid,
Met. v. 385-408;
Claudian,
de Rapt. Proserp. ii.; Diod. v. 3.) The exact spot assigned by local tradition as the scene of this event was a small lake surrounded by lofty and precipitous hills, about 8 km from Enna, the meadows on the banks of which abounded in flowers, while a cavern or grotto hard by was shown as that from which the infernal king suddenly emerged. This lake is called "Pergus" by Ovid (
Met. v. 386) and Claudian (
l. c. ii. 112), but it's remarkable that neither
Cicero nor
Diodorus speaks of any lake in particular as the scene of the occurrence: the former however says, that around Enna were
lacus lucique plurimi, et laetissimi flores omni tempore anni. (
Verr. iv. 48.) Diodorus, on the contrary, describes the spot from whence Proserpine was carried off as a meadow abounding in flowers, especially odoriferous ones, to such a degree that it was impossible for hounds to follow their prey by the scent across this tract: he speaks of it as enclosed on all sides by steep cliffs, and having groves and marshes in the neighborhood, but makes no mention of a lake (v. 3). The cavern however is alluded to by him as well as by Cicero, and would seem to point to a definite locality. At the present day there still remains a small lake in a basin-shaped hollow surrounded by great hills, and a cavern near it's still pointed out as that described by Cicero and Diodorus, but the flowers have in great measure disappeared, as well as the groves and woods which formerly surrounded the spot, and by the 19th century, the scene was described by travelers as bare and desolate. (Hoare's
Classical Tour, vol. ii. p. 252;
Gustav Parthey,
Wanderungen d. Sicilien, p. 135; Marquis of Ormonde,
Autumn in Sicily, p. 106, who has given a view of the lake.)
The connection of this myth with Enna naturally led to (if it didn't rather arise from) the peculiar worship of the two goddesses
Ceres and Proserpine in that city: and we learn from Cicero that there was a temple of Ceres of such great antiquity and sanctity that the Sicilians repaired thither with a feeling of religious awe, as if it were the goddess herself rather than her sanctuary that they were about to visit. Yet this didn't preserve it from the sacrilegious hands of Verres, who carried off from thence a bronze image of the deity herself, the most ancient as well as the most venerated in Sicily. (Cic.
Verr. iv. 4. 8) No remains of this temple are now visible: according to
Fazello it stood on the brink of the precipice, and has been wholly carried away by the falling down of great masses of rock from the edge of the cliff. (Fazell. x. 2. p. 444; M. of Ormonde, p. 92.) Nor are there any other vestiges of antiquity still remaining at Enna: they were probably destroyed by the Saracens, who erected the castle and several other of the most prominent buildings of the modern city. (Hoare,
l. c. p. 249.)
Coinage
There exist coins of Enna under the Roman dominion, with the legend "MUN. (Municipium) HENNA" thus confirming the authority of Cicero, all the best manuscripts of which have the aspirated form of the name. (Zumpt,
ad Verr. p. 392.) The most ancient Greek coin of the city also gives the name "ΗΕΝΝΑΙΟΝ" (Eckhel, vol. i. p. 206): there's therefore little doubt that this form (Henna) of the ancient name is the more correct, though Enna is the more usual.
University, culture and education
Enna is now an important center in archaeological and educational studies. The
Kore University of Enna was officially founded in 2004, when the
President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi visited it.
Main sights
Monuments
The most important monuments of Enna are:
- The Castello di Lombardìa (Lombardy Castle), perhaps the most important example of military architecture in Sicily. It was created in very old times by Sicanians, rebuilt by Frederick II of Sicily and restructured under Frederick II of Aragon. The castle, which bears this name because of the garrison of Lombard troops that defended it in Norman times, has an irregular layout which once comprised 20 towers: of the six remaining, the Torre Pisana is the best preserved one. It has Guelph merlons. The castle was divided into three different spaces separated by walls: the first courtyard is home to a renowned outdoor lyric theater in which high quality shows are performed; the second one houses a large green park, while in the third courtyard it's possible to see the vestiges of royal apartments, a bishop's chapel, medieval prisons and the Pisan Tower.
- The Duomo (Cathedral), a noteworthy example of religious architecture in Sicily, built in the 14th century by queen Eleonora, Frederick III's wife, but largely renovated after the fire of 1446. The great Baroque facade, in yellow tufa-stone, is surmounted by a massive campanile with finely shaped decorative elements. The portal on the right side is from the 16th century, while the other is from the original 14th century edifice. The interior has a nave with two aisles separated by massive Corinthian columns, and three apses. The stucco decoration is from the 16th and 17th centuries. Art works include a 15th century crucifix panel painting, a canvas by Guglielmo Borremans, the presbytery paintings by Filippo Paladini (1613), a Baroque side portal. The cathedral's treasure is housed in the Alessi Museum, and has precious ornaments, the gold crown with diamonds "Crown of the Virgin," Byzantine icons, thousands of ancient coins and other collections.
- Palazzo Varisano, housing the Regional Archaeological Museum of Enna, with material dating from the Copper Age to the 6th century AD coming from many archaeological areas in the Province of Enna.
- Torre di Federico, an octagonal ancient tower which was allegedly a summer residence of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. The two floors possess beautiful vaults. The aspect of the building is austere. It was part of a bigger complex, named Old castle and destroyed by Arabs, of which nowadays there remain some pieces of the old, imposing walls on the top of the green hill housing municipal gardens where the Tower rises.
- The Campanile of the destroyed church of San Giovanni, features pointed arches with finely shaped archivolts, and a three light mullioned window with Catalan-style decorations.
- The Municipal Library, located in the San Francesco building. The latter church has a noteworthy 15th century campanile and, in the interior, a fine painted Cross from the same century.
- The church of San Tommaso is also of note for its 15th century belfry, with three orders. It has windows framed by an agile full-centered archivolt. The church contains a marble icon (1515) attributed to Giuliano Mancino and precious frescoes by Borremans.
- The Janniscuru Gate is the only one preserved of the 7 old gates once located at the entrance of the town. It is a fine 17th century Roman arch, positioned in a charming natural setting under old steps in an area very rich in rock grottoes used as a necropolis thousands of years ago, just under the ancient, traditional quarter of Fundrisi.
Pergusa lake and archaeologic site
Lake Pergusa (
Latin:
Pergus lacus or
Hennaeus lacus) is set between a group of mountains in the chain of Erei, and it's located 5 km from Enna. It is a vital place in the migratory current of lots of birds. In addition to birds, which are certainly the protagonists of the Pergusa nature reserve, here there are also interesting species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Around the lake, there's the most important racing track of Southern Italy, the
Autodromo di Pergusa, that hosted international competitions and events, such as
Formula 1,
Formula 3000 and a Ferrari Festival with
Michael Schumacher.
In the area of Pergusa lake we can also find an archaeological site, known as
Cozzo Matrice, practically the rests of an old fortified village, where some imposing walls dating about 8000 BC, a sacred citadel, a rich
necropolis and the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to
Demeter, dating more than 2000 years ago.
The important forest and green area named Selva Pergusina (that means "Pergusa's Wood") surrounds a part of the Lake Pergusa Valley, evocating a scenographic panorama.
Pergusa is strongly linked to the myth of the Greek
Persephone,
Demeter's daughter, which was kidnapped here by
Pluto.
Twin towns
Mancomunidad de la Costa del Sol Occidental, Spain
Kastoria, Greece
Gharb, MaltaFurther Information
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