Casa abbandonata

ABANDONED HOUSE, LOST HISTORY

A few years ago I wrote my childhood memories to honor my beloved paternal grandpa. I wrote about his story, his house where I spent part of my childhood, and the history of our ancestors. 

Grandpa and our ancestors lived in quartiere di bel vidiri (il Belvedere), a complex of family houses where the Muscara’ dwelled since at least 1567.  Il Belvedere means that it is an area from where one can see picturesque, magnificent panoramas. One of the far off vistas from this location is the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Aeolian Islands. 

If interested in reading about my grandpa’s story, please go to:
http://librizziancestorsinmyheart.blogspot.com/2010/04/remembering-grandpa-giuseppe-muscara.html
 
Two other stories that might be of interest are found at:
    http://librizziancestorsinmyheart.blogspot.com/2009/10/muscara-ancestors.html 

(Il Magnifico Pietro Muscara’ is my first ancestor who lived in the ancient town of Librizzi. I found this information in the oldest documents available for me to read, the 1584 and the 1594 Census Records.) 

http://librizziancestorsinmyheart.blogspot.com/2009/11/you-live-as-long-as-you-are-remembered.html


Grandpa horses were housed in this area as indicated by the horseshoe. This is a cortile where the horses could enjoy the sunshine. 



This is the street entrance to the covered area where the horses were kept. There used to be a beautiful wrought iron gate here with the family crest as part of the decorations.

Today, the house where grandpa spent his last days, and the rest of the nearby houses stand deserted, lonely, and abandoned. The only sounds heard are the memories of past generations clamoring to be heard so that they may tell us that once there was laughter, joy, and life residing within those crumbling walls. 



Yes, the once vibrant, proud, and beautiful house is now decayed and colorless. The walls have fallen prey to the passage of time and to the relentless beating of the Sicilian elements. Weeds and vines are growing from the shivering walls, lording over the moribund building, triumphant in their conquest. The doors are open uncaring about the decay within, there is no pity for the lament of ancestors.    



The above is one of the many balconies that used to adorn grandpa’s house.

Broken windows, crumbling stonework, pebbles disgorged from the eroded walls, fragments of memories. 

Memories, stoically enduring the road to oblivion.  

Ed e’ subito sera.



Ognuno sta solo sul cuor della terra
trafitto da un raggio di sole:
ed è subito sera.

Everyone stands alone at the heart of the world
pierced by a ray of sunlight,
and suddenly it is evening.

Salvatore Quasimodo (1901-1968), born in Sicily, poet, Nobel Prize Winner

All photos except the last one were taken by Melo Rifici

ANGELS AND ANCESTORS

ANGELI SENZA TEMPO – TIMELESS ANGELS


Photo by Carmelo Rifici

I have had a lifelong interest in angels, they fascinate me, and they make me happy. I do not mean the spiritual presence of Angels but the iconography of angels, statues, paintings, Christmas ornaments that feature angels, anything with the form of angels. Do I worship Angels? Not really. I just like the idea of angels, and man’s interpretations of what an angel looks like.

How did this interest in angels begin? I grew up in an area of Italy that reveres the Archangel Michael. Many churches in Sicily feature a beautiful statue of the Archangel Michael, the patron Saint of many cities and towns is the Archangel Michael, and there are many feasts and celebrations in honor of the Archangel Michael. The town of Librizzi is one of many that have a special reverence for San Michele Archangelo.


Photo by Maria Muscara'

The Chiesa Matrice, located at the highest point of Librizzi is dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo and it is in this church where the beautiful statue of the Archangel is kept. The statue sculpted from wood, has a historical story associated with it. Interestingly the story connects the statue with my ancestors, particularly with Don Rocco Muscara’ and il dott. Pietro Muscara’. Perhaps my interest in angels was born in the lives of my ancestors and passed on to me through generations of ‘angels loving genes’.

The following is a synopsis of the story associated with the statue of San Michele:


Photo by Carmelo Rifici

In 1654 the Reverend Father Claudio di Todaro from Librizzi decided to commission from Naples a statue of San Michele Arcangelo, the protector of the town. It took a year to complete the statue and finally in 1656 the statue was transported to Messina. Unfortunately the plague was raging in Naples and the captain of the ship that carried the statue was ordered to burn all of its contents including silks, precious fabrics, money, and the statue. The captain fought to have the statue quarantined together with himself and all of the sailors. The Senators of Messina and the Public Health Officials, having seen the beauty of the statue, agreed to a quarantine of three months.

At the end of the quarantine Father Claudio gave permission to the Senate of Messina to have the statue displayed at a church in Messina and then it was to be brought to the rightful church in Librizzi. The 24th of September of 1656 a huge number of people went to see the statue and having seen its beauty petitioned the Senate to keep the statue in Messina and never allow it to leave Messina. The next day Father Claudio found out of the plan and for three days begged the Senate to allow the statue to be brought to the rightful owner, the town of Librizzi. Other important people also requested that the statue be allowed to leave Messina. The Senate refused to do so and Father Claudio was about to give up when he made one last effort. Finally the Senate decided to allow the statue to leave Messina and ordered the Messinesi not to interfere with the transport of the statue. Finally the statue arrived at the port of Patti and from there it was transported to Librizzi and placed in the church of a Convent.

That same evening, after the Angelus was completed, the townspeople “displaying great devotion”arrived at the Convent to greet the statue. The same night the Archpriest Don Rocco Muscara’ and the town’s officials, ordered bonfires to be lit throughout the town, fireworks were set off, drums were played, etc. The welcoming celebration was continued the following Sunday (October First), with a procession which included all of the officials of the town, religious groups, and the townspeople. The statue was carried to her permanent location in the Chiesa Matrice and placed on the altar. A Mass was sung by il dott. Pietro Mucara’, and Father Claudio gave a laudatory sermon in honor of San Michele. Finally San Michele Archangelo was declared the Patron Saint of Librizzi.
(The document from which this information was obtained is found in the parochial archives of Librizzi. The whole document is cited in the book “Librizzi” by Antonino D’Amico)



Photos by Carmelo Rifici

The story of the statue continues, after 345 years the statue of San Michele Arcangelo has returned to Messina to be part of an exhibit titled ‘Angeli Senza Tempo’! It arrived in Messina in December and will remain there until the end of the exhibit (January 23, 2011). Let’s hope that the Messinesi will not try to ‘kidnap’ the beautiful statue once again!


ANGELI SENZA TEMPO

The exhibit ‘Angeli senza tempo’ covers the period from the XVI to the XX century. The 34 works of art shown in the exhibit, demonstrate the role of Angels in sacred representations. Included are guardian angels, revelatory angels, warrior angels, spiritual angels, musical angels, adoring angels, cherubs and putti angels. The exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, cloth and silver artifacts. The works of art are set up to show the progression of artistic interpretation of angels, from the ethereal angels to the humanized physical form.

The statue of the Librizzi Archangel is sculpted from wood, painted, and gold plated. It is a winged angel holding a sword. (An Archangel is an Angel of high rank.)


Photo by Carmelo Rifici

On the 8th of January a large delegation of Librizzesi went to see the exhibit and to visit their beloved San Michele.


Photo by Carmelo Rifici

The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, and Filippo Mazzei.

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, THOMAS JEFFERSON, AND FILIPPO MAZZEI






On June 12, 1776, the Virginia convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by the patriot George Mason. In part, the Declaration said: “That all Men are created equally free and independent, and have certain inherent natural Rights, of which they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their Posterity…”



On July 4, 1776, at the meeting in Philadelphia, the Representatives of the United States of America adopted a Declaration drafted by Thomas Jefferson. In part the Declaration stated “We hold these Truths to be self evident. That ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”



Between 1774 and 1776 Filippo Mazzei, wrote (under the pseudonym “Furioso”) many articles against British rule. The articles were first written in Italian then they were translated into English by his friend Thomas Jefferson, and published in the ‘Virginia Gazette’. One article read in part:
“Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti. Quest’ eguaglianza e’ necessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all’oltro nel diritto naturale.”… etc
The following is a translation of Mazzei’s words: “All men are by nature equally free and independent. This equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural rights”

The thoughts of an Italian immigrant became embodied in the founding document of the United States of America, the Declaration of Independence!



Who was Filippo Mazzei?

Filippo Mazzei was born December 25, 1730 in Poggio-a-Caiano, Tuscany, Italy. He studied medicine in Florence and practiced medicine in Pisa and Livorno (Italy), Smyrna and Constantinople (Turkey). In 1756 he went to London where he organized the firm of Martini and Co., which imported cheese, wine and olive oil into England. While in England the Grand Duke of Tuscany asked Mazzei to purchase two franklin stoves giving Mazzei the opportunity to meet Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Adams, and other Americans.

Mazzei’s American friends persuaded him to form a company in Virginia to promote the culture of silkworms, olives, grapes, and the production of wine. He arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in November of 1773. He brought with him a group of Italians who were to introduce in Virginia the cultivation of vineyards, olives, and other Mediterranean fruits. He also brought a tailor, the widow Maria Martin whom he married in 1774, her daughter, and Carlo Bellini. At Jefferson’s recommendation Bellini became a professor of modern languages at the College of William and Mary.

While Thomas Adams was giving Mazzei a tour of Virginia they stopped at the estate of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson immediately started a friendship with Mazzei and convinced Mazzei to buy land adjacent to Monticello, about four miles from Charlottesville. Mazzei called his estate Colle (Hill). The friendship with Jefferson lasted over 40 years.

Mazzei became involved with Virginia’s political activities, became a naturalized citizen of Virginia, and established his reputation as a patriot by joining the revolutionary war effort. Mazzei and Jefferson worked together composing article about freedom and equalities. One of those articles was the source for Jefferson’s famous statement in the Declaration of Independence “ALL MEN ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL”. Jefferson gave Mazzei a copy of the “Rough Draught” of the Declaration of Independence, while an excerpt of Mazzei’s “Instructions of the Freeholders of Albemarle County to their Delegates in Convention” was used by Jefferson in his attempt to institute a new state constitution. Mazzei became a private in the “Independent Company” of Albemarle and participated in a march toward the Atlantic coast in an effort to thwart the British when they first landed troops at Hampton.

By 1778 it was decided by Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason and others that Mazzei could be useful abroad to obtain a loan for the State of Virginia. But before Mazzei could accomplish his mission he and his family were captured by the British and held prisoners. While at sea Mazzei put his instructions and commission in a weighted sack and threw them overboard. The British sent him and his family to Ireland from where they escaped to France. Once he arrived in Tuscany he was able to borrow money from the Grand Duke of Tuscany for Virginia and to buy goods in Italy for the use of state troops. He gathered political and military information for Governor Jefferson.

Mazzei returned to Virginia in 1783 and left again for Europe in 1785 never to return to his adopted country. His wife stayed at the Colle until she died in 1788, she is buried in the family graveyard at Monticello.

Mazzei maintained a close relationship with his former compatriots including Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. Mazzei helped Jefferson obtain portraits of Vespucci, Columbus, Magellan, and Cortez from the grand duke of Florence. As a last gesture of friendship to the USA, in 1802 at the age of 75 he traveled to Rome to hire two sculptors to work in the National Capital, Washington, D.C. They were Giovanni Andrei and Giuseppe Franzoni. Perhaps one of Mazzei's most important contributions to the American cause was the writing and publishing in 1788 his four volume history of the colonies. “Recherches historique et politiques sur les Etats Unis de Amerique septentrionale” described the founding of each of the 13 colonies, the cause of the Revolution, and the development of the government of the United States.

Mazzei was involved with French affairs during the French Revolution and later was involved with Polish affairs working with King Stanislaus. Mazzei succeeded in reestablishing diplomatic relations between France and Poland. After reading Mazzei’s “Recherches”, King Stanislaus invited him to Warsaw to be a friend and advisor.

In 1792 Mazzei returned to Pisa, married Antonina Tonini in 1796, had a daughter Elizabetta in 1798. In Pisa he started to cultivate his garden and was known as Pippo l’ortolano. ‘Phil the gardener' died in Pisa on March 19, 1816, three years after completing his memoirs. After his death the remainder of his family returned to the USA at the urging of Thomas Jefferson. They settled in Massachusetts and Virginia. Mazzei’s daughter married the nephew of John Adams.



Mazzei’s contributions to the cause of the American Revolution have been acknowledged by John F. Kennedy in his book “A Nation of Immigrants”.
Before Kennedy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt reminded Americans of Mazzei’s contribution to Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Hon. Mario Biaggi of New York, had inserted in the Congressional Record of September 12, 1984 an essay about Filippo Mazzei written by Sister Margherita Marchione, a professor at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
The Joint Resolution 175 of the 103rd Congress notes that Jefferson borrowed the expression from an Italian friend and neighbor – Philip Mazzei.
In 1980 the U.S. Postal Service issued a 40-cent stamp commemorating the 250th anniversary of Mazzei’s birth.


Thomas Jefferson on Philip Mazzei - (The Jefferson Encyclopedia)

1778 October 19. (Jefferson to John Hancock) "Philip Mazzei possesses first rate ability...He has been a zealous whig from the beginning and I think may be relied on perfectly in point of integrity. He is very sanguine in his expectations of the services he could render us on this occasion and would undertake it on a very moderate appointment..."

1784 March 16. (Jefferson to James Madison, Annapolis) "An alarming paragraph in your letter says Mazzei is coming to Annapolis. I tremble at the idea. I know he will be worse to me than a return of my double quotidian headache."

1816 July 18. (Jefferson to Giovanni Carmignani) "An intimacy of 40 years had proved to me his great worth; and a friendship, which had begun in personal acquaintance, was maintained after separation, without abatement by a constant interchange of letters. His esteem too in this country was very general; his early and zealous cooperation in the establishment of our independence having acquired for him here a great degree of favor."

1816 July 18. (Jefferson to Thomas Appleton) "Your letter brought me the first information of the death of my ancient friend Mazzei, which I learn with sincere regret. He had some peculiarities (and who of us has not?), but he was of solid worth; honest, able, zealous in sound principles, moral and political, constant in friendship, and punctual in all his undertakings. He was greatly esteemed in this country..."

Adelasia del Vasto, a Medieval woman of note

I have already talked about The Trotula, now it is time to feature another Medieval woman of note the legendary contessa of Sicily and regina of Jerusalem, Adelasia (or Adelaide) del Vasto. Adelasia was not only a historical figure of Sicily but she actually was part of the history of Patti and the nearby town of Librizzi.

Adelasia was the third wife of the Norman Ruggero I d’Altavilla, Great Count of Sicily and Calabria, the founder of the Norman dynasty in Sicily. They were the parents of King Ruggero II, the first king of Sicily and great grandparents of Federico II, the Stupor Mundi.

Adelasia of Montferrat or Adelasia del Vasto was born in Piemonte in 1074, her father was the Marchese Manfred del Vasto, a descendant of the Aleramo who in 967 had been granted the territory of Montferrat by Emperor Otto I. Montferrat was situated south-east of Turin. When Manfred died his unscrupulous brother Bonifazio usurped power from the legitimate heirs of Manfred. Defrauded, the legitimate heirs who were minors and defenseless, decided to leave the Lombard region of Northern Italy and settle in the more hospitable and prosperous island of Sicily. In fact during the 11th century there was a large migration of Lombards to Sicily where they founded towns such as Novara, San Fratello, and today’s Piazza Armerina!

The fifteen year old Adelasia was asked by the recently widowed Gran Conte Ruggero to become his third wife. They were married in Mileto, Calabria, in 1089. Ruggero was 60 years old and the father of 10 children, three of whom were males and thus the future heirs. The Gran Conte and Adelasia had two sons, Simone who was born in 1092 and died in 1105, and Ruggero II (born in Mileto on December 22, 1095) who became the first King of Sicily.



Ruggero, il Gran Conte di Calabria e Sicilia

Adelasia a capable and ambitious woman was very lucky in fulfilling her aspirations. Her husband’s male children from the previous marriages died leaving Simone and Ruggero II heirs of Sicily and Calabria. When the Gran Conte died in 1101 first Simone and then Ruggero became the rulers with Adelasia as their regent. In fact she ruled for ten years until Ruggero was considered an adult at the age of 17. Adelasia was a successful regent since she had learned from her husband how to govern, the art of diplomacy and mediation. In addition she surrounded herself with extremely capable advisors of all ethnic groups including the admiral Cristodulo who was reputed to be of Greek or Arab ancestry. In fact she wisely refused to discriminate against Sicilians of any ancestral origins. She followed her husband’s policy that Latins, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, and other ethnic groups, were to be respected as were their customs and culture.

Adelasia courageously defended her children’s throne, quelled many revolts (including one in Focero’ in the area of Librizzi and Sant’Angelo di Brolo). She was just and intervened with authority to put an end to the various controversies that arose between the abbots of different Bishoprics. Even though she was a Roman Catholic, Adelasia protected the Greek Orthodox Church which for centuries had been the major Christian religion of Sicily, in fact she freely made donations of vast tracts of land to the Greek Church. Adelasia moved the Royal Court from Calabria to Messina, the base from where the Normans had extended their dominion of Sicily, and then to the flourishing city of Palermo.

When her son Ruggero II took over his hereditary responsibilities, Adelasia’s work was done, but her character was not one to sit back and retire to a private life. She did not want to interfere with her son’s politics and rulings, so she looked elsewhere for opportunities that would give her power and to help her son become king. Luck once again favored Adelasia. In 1112 Baldovino I of Fiandra (Flanders) King of Jerusalem, sent an ambassador to Messina to ask Adelasia’s hand in marriage. It was a calculated political move by Baldovino in order to forge an alliance with the Normans and to get his hands on Adelasia’s vast riches. The already married Baldovino repudiated his first wife who had not given him any children, ensconced her in a convent with the false accusation of immorality, and obtained an annulment. Unaware of Baldovino’s duplicitous plans Adelasia accepted the proposal but she made sure that the matrimonial contract included a clause that stipulated that upon Baldovino’s death, if they did not have any children to succeed him, the Kingdom of Jerusalem would be given to her son Ruggero II. (Adelasia was ahead of her times, this matrimonial contract sounds like a modern prenup to me!)

The contract was signed and in 1113 Adelasia left Palermo for Jerusalem. The ship on which Adelasia traveled was decorated with a masthead gilded with pure gold, the stern and bow were also gilded with gold and decorated by very talented artisans. She was accompanied by 11 naval ships full of soldiers, among whom were 500 Sicilian Saracen archers who were renown throughout the West for their valor; military arms; merchandise and provisions; … All the ships and all that they carried including the archers and soldiers were wedding gifts for the King of Jerusalem. The ships also carried the personal treasures of the countess which included jewels, gold, precious stones, silver, fabrics, and expensive textiles. When Adelasia arrived in the new kingdom, she was received with all of the honors due her, and the wedding was celebrated in a lavish ceremony.

Having resolved his economic and military problems through the matrimony with Adelasia, and having squandered her extensive dowry, on the 25th of April of 1117 Baldovino had his marriage annulled! Adelasia’s luck ran out! The deeply grieved and humiliated Adelasia returned to Palermo. Her son Ruggero was furious and devastated for the horrible treatment of his mother but for political reasons was unable to vindicate his mother. However years later he refused to support the Second Crusade to Jerusalem, perhaps it was a delayed act of revenge. In an attempt to alleviate his mother’s sorrow, Ruggero organized great festivities to celebrate her return but the proud and sensitive Adelasia decided not to remain at the Royal Court and went to live at the Convent of San Bartolomeo in Palermo and then she decided to get far away from Palermo and went to live in the monastery of Patti. Adelasia died in Patti on April 16, 1118. She did not witness her dream come to fruition, her son Ruggero II became first King of Sicily in the year 1130.



La Cattedrale di Patti

Rigina Adelasia, as the Pattesi call her, is buried in the Cathedral of San Bartolomeo in Patti. Adelasia and her husband in 1094 had founded on the hill a Benedictine convent and abbey. Later Ruggero II built at the highest point of Patti a church to house the mortal remains of his mother. In 1693 the original church was restored and rebuilt in the shape of a Latin Cross. At the transept there are two lateral chapels, one dedicated to the SS Sacramento and the other to Santa Febronia, patron Saint of Patti. Inside the chapel of Santa Febronia is found the marble sarcophagus containing the remains of Adelasia.



The Sarcophagus of Adelasia del Vasto

The Cathedral of San Bartolomeo is also the church that housed for a few days the body of Federico II, il Stupor Mundi. When Federico II died his body was brought to Patti, the location of his great grandmother’s tomb. After a few days of mourning his body was transferred to Palermo where he is buried in the Cathedral of Palermo.



La Cattedrale di Patti

In 2008 Patti honored Adelasia with a historical exhibit about their beloved and legendary Rigina. Among other things, the exhibit contained the Ruggero official Bull (Seal) and Adelasia’s decrees written on parchment.

The State Archives of Palermo is the repository of the oldest extant document in Europe written on paper, dated 1109. It comes from the chancellery of the Norman kings who had occupied Sicily. It is a bilingual order written in Arabic and Greek, and it concerns a salt mine near Castro Giovanni. The author of the order is Adelasia, Countess of Calabria and Sicily, third wife of Ruggero I Count of Sicily and Calabria, founder of the Norman dynasty! Adelasia wrote the order on paper rather than parchment because it was not an official document, official documents were written only on parchment. The Adelasia document which has been restored by the latest technologies has revealed that it is paper of Arabic origin.



The oldest extant document in Europe written on paper, a letter by Adelasia del Vasto.

ADELASIA DEL VASTO, a notable medieval woman from the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th, is still a woman of interest in the 21st century!


Just a personal note: I lived in Patti for a year while attending the first year of the Ginnasio. For the second year of the Ginnasio I commuted by bus from Librizzi to Patti, a trip of only 15 minutes. I have fond memories of the time spent in Patti.