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Enna (Italian pronunciation:[ˈɛnna]ⓘor[ˈenna];[3]Ancient Greek:Ἔννα;Latin:Henna, less frequentlyHaenna), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 asCastrogiovanni (Sicilian:Castrugiuvanni[ˌkaʂʂ(ɽ)ʊddʒʊˈvannɪ]), is a city andcomune located roughly at the center ofSicily, southern Italy, in theprovince of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknamesbelvedere (panoramic viewpoint) andombelico ("navel") of Sicily.
At 931 m (3,054 ft) above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital.
Enna is situated near the center of the island; whence the Roman writerCicero called itMediterranea maxime, reporting that it was within aday's journey of the nearest point on all the three coasts. The peculiar situation of Enna is described by several ancient authors, and is one of the most remarkable in Sicily. The ancient city was placed on the level summit of a gigantic hill, surrounded on all sides with precipitous cliffs almost wholly inaccessible. The few paths were easily defended, and the city was abundantly supplied with water which gushes from the face of the rocks on all sides. With a plain or tableland of about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in circumference on the summit, it formed one of the strongest natural fortresses in the world.[citation needed]
Archaeological excavations have revealed artifacts dating from the 14th century BC, proving human presence in the area sinceNeolithic times. A settlement from before the 11th century BC, assigned by some to theSicanians, has been identified at the top of the hill; later it was a center of theSicels.[citation needed]
In historical times, Enna became renowned in Sicily and Italy for the cult of the goddessDemeter (the RomanCeres). Her grove was known as theumbilicus Siciliae ("The navel of Sicily"). Ceres' temple in Henna was a famed site of worship.[4]
The origin of the toponymHenna remains obscure.[citation needed]
The Rock ofCeres, an important site for devotion to the goddess.
Dionysius I of Syracuse repeatedly attempted to take over Enna. At first he encouragedAeimnestus, a citizen of Enna, to seize the sovereign power. Afterward Dionysius I turned against him and assisted the Ennaeans to get rid of their despot. But it was not till a later period that, after repeated expeditions against the neighbouring Sicilian cities, Dionysius took control of the city by betrayal in 397 BC.[5]
Agathocles later controlled Enna. When theAgrigentines underXenodicus 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. Accounts of theFirst Punic War repeatedly refer to Enna; it was taken first by theCarthaginians underHamilcar, and subsequently recaptured by theRomans, but in both instances by treachery and not by force.[citation needed]
In theSecond Punic War, whileMarcellus 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 alarmedPinarius the governor of Enna. In order to forestall any treachery, he used the Roman garrison to kill the citizens, whom he had gathered in the theater, and killed them all. The soldiers were allowed to plunder the city.[citation needed]
Eighty years later Enna was the center of theFirst Servile War in Sicily (134 BC - 132 BC), which erupted under the lead ofEunus, a former slave. His forces took over Enna. It was the last place that held out against the proconsulRupilius, and was at length betrayed into his hands. According to Strabo, the city suffered much damage after the Romans regained control. He believed this was the start of its decline.[citation needed]
Cicero referred to it repeatedly in a way to suggest that it was still a flourishingmunicipal town: it had a fertile territory, well-adapted for the growth of cereal grains, and was diligently cultivated till it was rendered almost desolate by the exactions ofVerres. From this time little is known about Enna:Strabo speaks of it as still inhabited in his time, though by a small population. The name of Enna appears inPliny among the municipal towns of Sicily, as well as inPtolemy and theItineraries.[citation needed]
When the Roman Empire was divided in 395 AD, Sicily became part of theWestern Roman Empire. The noted senatorial family of the Nicomachi had estates in Sicily. Around 408 AD the politician and grammarianNicomachus Flavianus worked on an edition of the first 10 books ofLivy during a stay on his estate in Enna. This was recorded in the subscriptions of the manuscripts of Livy.[citation needed]
After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire, Enna flourished throughout the Middle Ages as an importantByzantine stronghold. In 859, in the course of theIslamic conquest of Sicily, after several attempts and a long siege, the town was taken by Muslim troops, who entered one by one through a sewer to breach the town's defenses. Afterwards, 8,000 residents of the city were massacred by Muslim forces.[6] The Arabic name for the city,Qaṣr Yānih (قصر يانه, "Fort of John"), was a combination ofqaṣr (a corruption of the Latincastrum, "fortress"), and a corruption ofHenna. The city retained its name in the local dialect ofSicilian asCastru Janni (Italianized asCastrogiovanni), untilBenito Mussolini ordered renaming in 1927.[citation needed]
Enna had a prominent role in theSicilian Vespers and the ensuingWar of the Sicilian Vespers. Forced to retreat to the Sicilian interior in during theAngevin invasion of 1299, KingFrederick III of Sicily chose the highly defensible Enna as his headquarters. The city blocked the Angevins from advancing into central Sicily, and an Angevin army attempting to advance on the city was defeated at theBattle of Gagliano in 1300.[8]
Frederick III favored the city, embellishing it with honors, and following the vespers era Enna enjoyed a short communal autonomy. However, it suffered a period of decay under the later Spanish domination.
The Lake of Pergusa, the mythological location of the Rape of Persephone.
The neighborhood of Enna is celebrated in myth as the place whencePersephone (Latin: Proserpine) was carried off byPluto, god of the underworld.[10] The 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 abound in flowers, and a nearby cavern or grotto was believed to be where the king suddenly emerged. This lake is called"Pergus" by Ovid[11] and Claudian.[12] NeitherCicero norDiodorus refers to any lake in relation to this myth. The former says that around Enna werelacus lucique plurimi, et laetissimi flores omni tempore anni[13] ("very many lakes and groves, and very delightful flowers at every time of year"). Diodorus describes the spot whence Persephone was carried off as a meadow so full of fragrant flowers that hounds could not follow their prey. He described the meadow as enclosed on all sides by steep cliffs, and having groves and marshes in the neighborhood, but does not refer to a lake.[14] Both he and Cicero allude to a cavern, as if describing a definite site. In the 21st century, a small lake was found in a basin-shaped hollow surrounded by great hills, and a cavern near is noted as that described by Cicero and Diodorus. But much of the flowers and trees had disappeared by the 19th century, when travelers described the area as bare and desolate.[15]
BothCeres and Persephone were worshipped in Enna. Cicero said that the temple of Ceres was of such great antiquity and sanctity that Sicilians went there filled with religious awe.Verres looted from it a bronze image of the deity, the most ancient as well as the most venerated in Sicily.[16] No remains of this temple are now visible. Standing on the brink of the precipice, it fell with a great rockfall from the edge of the cliff.[17] Other remnants of classical antiquity were likely destroyed by theSaracens, who erected the castle and several other of the most prominent buildings of the modern city.[18]
Coins minted for Enna under the Roman dominion still exist, carrying the legend "MUN. (Municipium) HENNA". The aspirated form of the name confirms the authority of Cicero, whose manuscripts give that form.[19] The most ancient Greek coin of the city also gives the name "ΗΕΝΝΑΙΟΝ".[20] Scholars have concluded that this form, Henna, of the ancient name is the more correct for its time, though Enna is the more usual.
Lombardy Castle (Castello di Lombardìa): an important instance of military architecture in Sicily. The Castle was built by Sicanians, rebuilt by Frederick II of Sicily, and restructured underFrederick II of Aragon. The castle is named for the garrison of Lombard troops that defended it in the Norman era. It has an irregular layout which once comprised 20 towers. Of the six remaining, theTorre Pisana is the best preserved and hasGuelph merlons. The castle was divided into three spaces separated by walls. The firstcourtyard is the site of an outdoor lyric theater. The second houses a large green park. The third includes vestiges of royal apartments, abishop's chapel, medieval prisons, and thePisan Tower.
The Lombardy Castle.
Enna Cathedral [it]: was built in the 14th century by queenEleanor of Anjou, the wife of Frederick II of Aragon. It was renovated and remodeled after a fire that occurred in 1446. The great Baroque facade, in yellow tufa-stone, is surmounted by a massivecampanile 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 massiveCorinthian columns, and threeapses. The stucco decoration is from the 16th and 17th centuries. Art works include a 15th-century crucifix panel painting, a canvas byGuglielmo Borremans, presbytery paintings byFilippo Paladini (1613), and aBaroque side portal. The cathedral's treasure is housed in the Alessi Museum, and includes precious ornaments, the gold crown with diamonds known as the "Crown of the Virgin," Byzantine icons, thousands of ancient coins, and other collections.
Palazzo Varisano was adapted to house the Regional Archaeological Museum of Enna. It has material dating from theCopper Age to the 6th century AD, recovered from many archaeological areas in theProvince of Enna.
Torre di Federico, is an octagonal ancient tower that was allegedly a summer residence ofFrederick II of Hohenstaufen. The two floors possess beautifulvaults. The aspect of the building is austere. It was part of a bigger complex, namedOld castle and destroyed by Arabs. Remnants include some pieces of the old, imposing walls on the top of the green hill where the Tower rises.
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 is located in theSan Francesco building, a former church. It has a notable 15th-century campanile and, in the interior, a fine painted Cross from the same century.
San Tommaso: church has a 15th-century belfry, with three orders. It has windows framed by an agile full-centered archivolt. The church contains a marble icon (1515) attributed toGiuliano Mancino and precious frescoes by Borremans.
Janniscuru Gate is the only one preserved of the seven gates that once gave entrance through the town wall. It is a fine 17th-centuryRoman arch, positioned in an area of rock grottoes under the ancient, traditional quarter of Fundrisi. These grottoes were used as a necropolis by ancient peoples thousands of years ago.
TheHoly Week procession of the Confraternities in Enna.
Lake Pergusa (Latin:Pergus lacus orHennaeus lacus) lies between a group of mountains in the chain of Erei, about 5 km from Enna. It is part of an important migratory flyway for many species of birds. The Pergusa nature reserve also has numerous species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Near Pergusa lake is the archaeological site known asCozzo Matrice. These are the remains of an ancient prehistoric fortified village, with walls dating about 8000 BC. Other remains, dating to more than 2000 years ago, are a sacred citadel, a richnecropolis, and the remains of an ancient temple dedicated toDemeter.
Pergusa is strongly linked to the myth of the GreekPersephone,Demeter's daughter, who was kidnapped from here by Pluto and taken toHades, the underworld, for part of the year. From that captivity, seasons arose. The important forest and green area namedSelva Pergusina (meaning Pergusa's Wood) surrounds a part of the Lake Pergusa Valley.
^Stanton, Charles D. “LAURIA’S LAST GREAT CAMPAIGN (SUMMER 1299–SPRING 1300).” InRoger of Lauria (c.1250-1305): “Admiral of Admirals,” NED-New edition., 271–88. Boydell & Brewer, 2019.doi:10.2307/j.ctvd58tqg.23.
^Richard Hoare (1819)Classical Tour. London: J. Mawman, vol. ii, p. 252;Gustav Parthey (1834)Wanderungen durch Sicilien und die Levante. Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung, Tl. 1, p. 135;Marquis of Ormonde (1850)Autumn in Sicily. Dublin: Hodges and Smith, p. 106, who has given a view of the lake.
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