UN MAGNIFICO ALBUM FOTOGRADICO SU CASACALENDA
Informazioni generali
I 67 Kmq. di territorio casacalendese sono costituiti da colline allineate irregolarmente sui solchi vallivi del Biferno e del Cigno, sono pendii con i fianchi ritagliati, senza apparente rigore geometrico, dai campi di grano duro, intercalati da secolari uliveti e da vaste superfici boschive. Qui soffiano periodicamente sferzanti venti orografici (bora). Tassi, ricci, piccoli roditori, uccelli stanziali e migratori, più di cento varietà di farfalle trovano il loro regno incontrastato.
Tanta natura,
sostanzialmente incontaminata, è
divisa con 2500 abitanti circa riuniti nel
centro urbano e dediti soprattutto all'agricoltura, interessata da
tempo anche al recupero del biologico e relativa trasformazione della
particolare ortofrutta da parte di cooperative di produzione e lavoro.
Queste ultime operano da circa un ventennio anche nel settore
manifatturiero ed assistenziale in genere. Voce economica non meno
significativa è l'agriturismo che dà modo di apprezzare
la gentilezza delle persone, la sana gastronomia, l'arte che in ogni
epoca ha lasciato la sua geniale espressione e quel silenzio utile alla
nostra ricostruzione.(Sito Comune)I 67 Kmq. di territorio casacalendese sono costituiti da colline allineate irregolarmente sui solchi vallivi del Biferno e del Cigno, sono pendii con i fianchi ritagliati, senza apparente rigore geometrico, dai campi di grano duro, intercalati da secolari uliveti e da vaste superfici boschive. Qui soffiano periodicamente sferzanti venti orografici (bora). Tassi, ricci, piccoli roditori, uccelli stanziali e migratori, più di cento varietà di farfalle trovano il loro regno incontrastato.
Mon village d'origine s'appelle Casacalenda. Ses traits sociaux et culturels reflètent, d'une certaine manière, la culture de toute la région du Molise.
Un des premiers auteurs qui ont écrit
de Casacalenda, fut l'historien romain
Polibio (
Le nom de Casacalenda
changea souvent pendant les siècles (Kalena, Arx Calena,
Kalenda, Casa
Arcolenda, Casalchilenda), jusqu'au nom d'aujourd'hui, Casacalenda. À partir du
douzième siècle, le village avec son territoire fut la
propriété des seigneurs
de l'époque. De 1580 à 1806 fut gouverné par les
ducs Di Sangro, qui en 1789,
le soumirent à
Les statistiques nous révèlent
que la population du village vit une grande
croissance entre les années 1500 et
les années 1900 (1532 : 625 habitants;
1669 : 760; 1710 : 1203;
1780 :
2103; 1810 : 4379;
1861 : 6044; 1901 : 7282).
Et même si le village
subir des moments tragiques (le
tremblement de terre de 1456 et la
peste de
1654), la seule vraie tragédie fut celle de l'émigration
du dix neuvième siècle
qui fit baisser la population à moins de 3000 habitants.
Le village de Casacalenda
a conservé intact la partie médiévale, avec ses
portiques, ses rues étroites,
le palais ducal et l'église Santa Maria Maggiore. Dans ce
conteste il est
facile d'imaginer l'époque féodale, quand le seul
propriétaire du village était
le Seigneur ou le Duc et où la classe prédominante
était celle des serfs,
suivie, en plus petit nombre, de la classe des artisans qui jouaient un
rôle
important dans le village.
Casacalenda, comme
beaucoup d'autres villages du Molise, resta isolé de toute
influence extérieure
pendant plusieurs siècles, ce qui a eu comme unique avantage de
conserver
pendant longtemps les traditions locales.
Casacalenda, comme
beaucoup de villages du Molise, s'est distinguée par le nombre
de personnages
célèbres, des hommes politiques, des artistes, des
penseurs et des écrivains,
en particulier pendant le dernier siècle.
Je
rappelle ici certains : D'Episcopo (philosophe),
Catalani (compositeur), Libertucci (sculpteur), Cerri, Romagnuolo,
Rimanelli
(écrivains). Aujourd'hui, les gens du village, ainsi que ceux
qui ont émigré un
peu partout dans le monde, restent très attachés à
leur lieu natal, parce que
l'histoire et les traditions ont laissé des racines profondes
dans leur coeur.
Origin/Meaning:
The K in the arms stands for Kalena, which is the local dialect name for Casacalenda. The simple crown above the arms represents the Duchy that once was centered around this little village. In fact you can still see remnants of the Duke's castle in the village. The arms are very simple as this small Duchy was never very big, powerful or prominent. Literature : Anonymous : 500 Stemmi di comuni Italiani. Milano, 1940; background provided by J Gallagher (james.gallagher2@sympatico.ca)
The K in the arms stands for Kalena, which is the local dialect name for Casacalenda. The simple crown above the arms represents the Duchy that once was centered around this little village. In fact you can still see remnants of the Duke's castle in the village. The arms are very simple as this small Duchy was never very big, powerful or prominent. Literature : Anonymous : 500 Stemmi di comuni Italiani. Milano, 1940; background provided by J Gallagher (james.gallagher2@sympatico.ca)
Links
su Casacalenda
http://web.tiscali.it/biello/
Church of
Santa Maria Maggiore, very
ancient, as proven by a stone cross of the 9th century AD in the
Byzantine style, on a lateral lunette in the facade.
Monastery of
Sant'Onofrio founded in
1407 by Padre Giovanni from Scontrone and completed by Blessed Tommaso
from Firenze, with a beautiful cloister and relics of frescos under the
arches; the annexed church is rich in art works: 17th-century paintings
of the Venetian school, behind the altar a magnificent representation
of the Nativity by painter Santafede, in the choir another precious
painting by Paolo Gamba from Ripabottoni, in the lateral
altar of St. Joseph the altar-piece in marble representing Dead Christ
by Sammartino and a 15th century painting representing St. Joseph by
Antonio Solario, alias Lo Zingaro.
The Sanctuary of
Maria
Santissima
della Difesa, built in 1898 on the place where rose a giant oak called
"quercia della Madonna", which was believed to be a holy place where
miracles had occurred. On the fourth Sunday of September (since then a
religious festivity) a statue of the Virgin Mary by Florentine artist
Amalia Dupré was brought here. In the Sanctuary there is a rich
treasures of all the gifts left by those who had their prayers
fulfilled, and in Montreal (Canada) in the district of Mile-End, the
emigrants from Casacalenda founded in 1921 their own Chiesa della
Madonna della Difesa.
Gerione, a nearby
center as ancient
as Casacalenda, mostly abandoned after the 1456 earthquake, an object
today of archeological studies.
informazione@amicomol.com
Casacalenda
Links
http://www.arces.it/include/comuni/motore.asp?IdRegione=14&field=
Chiesa Madre
UN MAGNIFICO ALBUM FOTOGRAFICO SUL MOLISE
Monumento ai Caduti
Chiesa Madre
UN MAGNIFICO ALBUM FOTOGRAFICO SUL MOLISE
Links
Casacalenda
Monumento ai Caduti
Among hills between the Biferno and Cigno rivers, in a landscape covered by woods and olive trees, the little town is still today a mainly agricultural center, and more recently a destination for tourists in search of the serenity of the countryside, the healthy food, the uncontaminated nature. The historical center is a jewel of alleys and narrow flights of steps going down the hills into the countryside.
History - Greek historian Polibios Polibio mentions a battle in 217 BC between the Roman army, based in Kalene, and Hannibal based in Gerione (now a hamlet of Casacalenda). The ancient coat of arms still shows a letter "K" in the initials, and actually the name might have been derived from the Latin Kalendae, the first day of the month in the Roman calendar, where traditionally markets used to be kept, and this center was probably the meeting point of all the craftsmen and farmers of the area. In the Middle Ages the craft of vase and brick making was a source of trade and wealth for the town. Among its feudal lords were the Di Sangro family, whose palace is still extant in the historical center. The ruinous earthquake of 1456 and 1688 left their deep marks in the architecture of homes and churches.
A tragic episode took place in February 1799 when Albanese mercenaries, sent by Duke Scipione Di Sangro who resented the liberal government of local Mastrogiurato Don Domenico De Gennaro, attacked Casacalenda. Don Domenico, hoping to save his town, went to meet the attackers who slew him treacherously on the Campomarino beach. In the years 1940-1943 Casacalenda hosted a concentration camp for Jewish and politically dissident women.
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