Nola
Encyclopedia
Nola is a city and comune
of Campania
, southern Italy
, in the province of Naples
, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius
and the Apennines
. It is served by the Circumvesuviana
railway from Naples.
between 1700 BC and 1600 BC (the Avellino eruption
). Excavations revealed extensive evidence of a small village abandoned quickly by its occupants at the time of the eruption so that a wide range of pottery and other artifacts were left behind to survive with the imprint of buildings in the mud from the eruption.
. The latter were certainly in Nola about 560 BC. When it sent assistance to Naples against the Roman invasion (328 BC) it was probably occupied by the Oscans in alliance with the Samnites. In the Samnite War (311 BC) the town was taken by the Romans, while in the Second Punic War
it thrice offered defiance to Hannibal (first, second, and third Battle of Nola) and on two occasions (215 and 214) it was defended by Marcellus. In the Social War it was given by treason into the hands of the Samnites, who kept it until Marius
, with whom they had sided, was defeated by Sulla
, who in 80 BC subjected it together with the rest of Samnium
. Seven years later it was stormed by Spartacus
, for which reason Augustus and Vespasian sent colonies there.
Nola, though losing much of its importance, remained a municipium with its own institutions and the use of the Oscan language
. It became a Roman colony under Augustus, who died there in 14 AD. Later it became an important site of Christian pilgrimage and hospitality, after the Christian senator Paulinus relocated to the town, eventually becoming bishop.
Nola lay on the Via Popilia from Capua
to Nocera Inferiore
and the south, and a branch road ran from it to Abella
and Avellino
. Mommsen
(Corp. inscr. Lat. X. 142) further states that roads must have run direct from Nola to Neapolis and Pompeii
, but Kiepert
's map annexed to the volume does not indicate this.
, in 453 by Gaiseric and his Vandals
, in 806 and again in 904 by the Saracens.
Captured by Manfred of Sicily
in the 13th century, from the time of Charles I of Anjou to the mid-15th century, Nola was first a feudal possession of Guy de Monfort and then of the Orsini baronial family whose heir married Guy's oldest daughter and heir. The battle of Nola (1459) is famous for the clever stratagem by which Stephen of Anjou defeated Alfonso of Aragon.
Damaged by earthquakes in the 15th and centuries, Nola lost much of its importance. The revolution of 1820 under General Pepe began at Nola.
The sculptor Giovanni Merliano was a native of the city; and some of his works are preserved in the cathedral.
. However, most of its territory and economy are well under the control of the Camorra
.
A major Camorra
's activity is the illegal treatment of urban, chemical and industrial wastes in the countryside located in the region between Nola, Acerra
and Marigliano
. This formerly rich and green countryside is sometimes now called the "Death Triangle".
The scientific journal The Lancet Oncology published in 2004 a study by the Italian researcher Alfredo Mazza, a physiologist at the Italian CNR
(Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche): this study revealed the terrible situation in the countryside around Marigliano and the negative impact on the people's health. He demonstrated that the deaths by cancer are much higher than average in that region compared to the European average.
In the days of its independence Nola issued an important series of coins, and in luxury it vied with Capua. A large number of vases of Greek style were manufactured here and have been found in the neighbourhood. Their material is of pale yellow clay with shining black glaze, and they are decorated with skillfully drawn red figures. Of the ancient city, which occupied the same site as the modern town, hardly any thing is now visible, and the discoveries of the ancient street pavement have not been noted with sufficient care to enable us to recover the plan.
Numerous ruins, an amphitheatre
, still recognizable, a theatre, a temple of Augustus, etc., existed in the 16th century, and were then used for building material. A few tombs of the Roman period are preserved. The neighbourhood was divided into pagi, the names of some of which are preserved to us (Pagus Agrifanus, Capriculanus, Lanitanus). Prehistoric findings are also housed in the Archaeological Museum.
There is also a monument to Giordano Bruno
, who was born at Castelcicala, a locality near Nola, in 1548.
, the first emperor of Rome
, died in Nola on 19 August 14 AD.
Nola was the birthplace of Luigi Tansillo
, Giovanni Merliano, whose work is well represented in the cathedral, of the physician Ambrogio Leo, and of the philosopher Nicola Antonio Stigliola
. Nola is, however, best known as the hometown of the philosopher Giordano Bruno
, who often referred to himself as the "Nolano," and his philosophy as the "Nolana filosofia".
Nola was the home of Saint Felix of Nola
. The city was also the episcopal see of Saint Paulinus of Nola, a major theologian and writer of the late Western Roman Empire, and who is also credited with inventing the church bell
(campana in Italian, taking its name from Campania). The church erected by him in honour of St. Felix in the 4th century is extant in part.
. The festival lasts seven days, starting from the last Sunday before 22 June. In honor of St. Paulinus, eight lilies and a boat are made of wood, covered with papier-mâché from art shops of the city. The highlight of the festival is the last day, when the lilies, 25 meters high, are portative shoulder for the city's historical center, along the ritch that has been repeated more than a thousand years. Each lily is a corporation of workers in the area of Nola. The order of lilies is as follows, respecting the tradition of the old order:
Greengrocer - Ortolano.
Pork butcher - Salumiere.
Innkeeper - Bettoliere.
Baker - Panettiere.
Boat - Barca.
Butcher - Beccaio.
Shoemaker - Calzolaio.
Smith - Fabbro.
Dressmaker - Sarto.
For seven days, the city relives its full historical and folklore of his faith to St. Paul's. Throughout the week each lily organizes evenings where you can dance, drink and have fun. The festival of 2010 was nominated along with other similar festivals, on the Italian territory, to become a Unesco world heritage site.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in the province of Naples
Province of Naples
The Province of Naples is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital city is Naples, within the province there are 92 Comuni of the Province of Naples.-Demographics:...
, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
and the Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
. It is served by the Circumvesuviana
Circumvesuviana
Circumvesuviana is a group of narrow-gauge railways connecting towns to the south-east of Naples, Italy. Its tracks run around the base of Mount Vesuvius, and , they completely encircle it, as well as running on down the Sorrento peninsula...
railway from Naples.
Nola Bronze Age settlement
Nola in Bronze Age times was the site of a settlement that has yielded evidence of the destructive power of an eruption by Mount VesuviusMount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
between 1700 BC and 1600 BC (the Avellino eruption
Avellino eruption
The Avellino eruption of Mount Vesuvius refers to a Plinian-type eruption that occurred in the 2nd millennium BC and is estimated to have had a VEI of 6...
). Excavations revealed extensive evidence of a small village abandoned quickly by its occupants at the time of the eruption so that a wide range of pottery and other artifacts were left behind to survive with the imprint of buildings in the mud from the eruption.
Ancient era
Called Nuvlana on the most ancient coins, it was one of the oldest cities of Campania: it is said to have been founded by the AusonesAusones
The Ausones were an ancient Italic tribe settled in the southern part of Italy. Often confused with the Aurunci, they share with them only a probably common origin.-History:...
. The latter were certainly in Nola about 560 BC. When it sent assistance to Naples against the Roman invasion (328 BC) it was probably occupied by the Oscans in alliance with the Samnites. In the Samnite War (311 BC) the town was taken by the Romans, while in the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
it thrice offered defiance to Hannibal (first, second, and third Battle of Nola) and on two occasions (215 and 214) it was defended by Marcellus. In the Social War it was given by treason into the hands of the Samnites, who kept it until Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
, with whom they had sided, was defeated by Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
, who in 80 BC subjected it together with the rest of Samnium
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
. Seven years later it was stormed by Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
, for which reason Augustus and Vespasian sent colonies there.
Nola, though losing much of its importance, remained a municipium with its own institutions and the use of the Oscan language
Oscan language
Oscan is a term used to describe both an extinct language of southern Italy and the language group to which it belonged.The Oscan language was spoken by a number of tribes, including the Samnites, the Aurunci, the Sidicini, and the Ausones. The latter three tribes were often grouped under the name...
. It became a Roman colony under Augustus, who died there in 14 AD. Later it became an important site of Christian pilgrimage and hospitality, after the Christian senator Paulinus relocated to the town, eventually becoming bishop.
Nola lay on the Via Popilia from Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
to Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore, formerly Nocera dei Pagani, is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 km east-south-east of Naples by rail.-History:...
and the south, and a branch road ran from it to Abella
Abella
Abella was a 14th century Italian physician who taught at the Salerno school of medicine. Abella wrote medical treatises in verse, and lectured on, among other topics, the nature of women. Her published medical treatises, De atrabile and De natura seminis humani , have not survived.-References:*...
and Avellino
Avellino
Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...
. Mommsen
Mommsen
Mommsen is a surname, and may refer to one of a family of German historians, see Mommsen family:* Theodor Mommsen , great classical scholar, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature* Tycho Mommsen...
(Corp. inscr. Lat. X. 142) further states that roads must have run direct from Nola to Neapolis and Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
, but Kiepert
Heinrich Kiepert
Heinrich Kiepert , German geographer, was born at Berlin as the son of a wealthy businessman.Already in his youth he traveled with his parents and had a particular interest in the geographic circumstances, which he carefully sketched...
's map annexed to the volume does not indicate this.
Middle Ages and Modern era
In 410 AD Nola was sacked by Alaric IAlaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
, in 453 by Gaiseric and his Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
, in 806 and again in 904 by the Saracens.
Captured by Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
in the 13th century, from the time of Charles I of Anjou to the mid-15th century, Nola was first a feudal possession of Guy de Monfort and then of the Orsini baronial family whose heir married Guy's oldest daughter and heir. The battle of Nola (1459) is famous for the clever stratagem by which Stephen of Anjou defeated Alfonso of Aragon.
Damaged by earthquakes in the 15th and centuries, Nola lost much of its importance. The revolution of 1820 under General Pepe began at Nola.
The sculptor Giovanni Merliano was a native of the city; and some of his works are preserved in the cathedral.
Today
Nola today is an important town close to NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. However, most of its territory and economy are well under the control of the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
.
A major Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
's activity is the illegal treatment of urban, chemical and industrial wastes in the countryside located in the region between Nola, Acerra
Acerra
Acerra is a town and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the Province of Naples, about 20 km northeast of the provincial capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.-History:...
and Marigliano
Marigliano
Marigliano is a town and comune of the province of Naples, Campania in southern Italy. It is part of the Agro Nolano plain.-Geography:The town lies 19 km from Naples...
. This formerly rich and green countryside is sometimes now called the "Death Triangle".
The scientific journal The Lancet Oncology published in 2004 a study by the Italian researcher Alfredo Mazza, a physiologist at the Italian CNR
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
The Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche or National Research Council, is an Italian public organization set up to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome.-History:The institution was founded in 1923...
(Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche): this study revealed the terrible situation in the countryside around Marigliano and the negative impact on the people's health. He demonstrated that the deaths by cancer are much higher than average in that region compared to the European average.
Main sights and ancient findings
- The ancient GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral (restored in 1866, and again in 1870 after the interior was destroyed by fire), with its lofty tower. - Basilica di San Tommaso, built in the 3rd century but renovated. It has frescoes from the 9th-11th centuries depicting stories of Christ.
- Basilica of SS. Apostoli, built, according to tradition, in 95 AD. Rebuilt in 1190, it was the city's cathedral until 1593. It was decorated in Baroque style in the 1740s.
- Palazzo Orsini (built in 1470, although modified later).
- The Late-Renaissance church of San Biagio, decorated with polychrome marbles and paintings from some of the most renowned 17th century Neapolitan painters.
- The seminary in which are preserved the famous Oscan inscription known as the Cippus Abellanus (from Abella, the modern AvellaAvellaAvella is a city and comune in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of Italy.-History:The ancient Abella was a medium importance center of the Samnites, and then the Romans, about 10 km northeast of Nola...
) and some LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscriptions relating to a treaty with Nola regarding a joint temple of HerculesHerculesHercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
. - Castle of Cicala, in the neighbourhood.
In the days of its independence Nola issued an important series of coins, and in luxury it vied with Capua. A large number of vases of Greek style were manufactured here and have been found in the neighbourhood. Their material is of pale yellow clay with shining black glaze, and they are decorated with skillfully drawn red figures. Of the ancient city, which occupied the same site as the modern town, hardly any thing is now visible, and the discoveries of the ancient street pavement have not been noted with sufficient care to enable us to recover the plan.
Numerous ruins, an amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, still recognizable, a theatre, a temple of Augustus, etc., existed in the 16th century, and were then used for building material. A few tombs of the Roman period are preserved. The neighbourhood was divided into pagi, the names of some of which are preserved to us (Pagus Agrifanus, Capriculanus, Lanitanus). Prehistoric findings are also housed in the Archaeological Museum.
There is also a monument to Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
, who was born at Castelcicala, a locality near Nola, in 1548.
Notable people
AugustusAugustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, the first emperor of Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, died in Nola on 19 August 14 AD.
Nola was the birthplace of Luigi Tansillo
Luigi Tansillo
Luigi Tansillo was an Italian poet of the Petrarchian and Marinist schools. Born in Venosa, he entered the service of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo in 1536 and in 1540 entered the Accademia degli Umidi , afterwards called della Fiorentina.He was associated with the Court of Naples and served as Captain...
, Giovanni Merliano, whose work is well represented in the cathedral, of the physician Ambrogio Leo, and of the philosopher Nicola Antonio Stigliola
Nicola Antonio Stigliola
Nicola Antonio Stigliola was an Italian philosopher, printer, architect, and medical doctor...
. Nola is, however, best known as the hometown of the philosopher Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno , born Filippo Bruno, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited...
, who often referred to himself as the "Nolano," and his philosophy as the "Nolana filosofia".
Nola was the home of Saint Felix of Nola
Felix of Nola
Saint Felix of Nola was a priest of Nola in Italy, who though once listed in the General Roman Calendar as a martyr, was instead a confessor of the faith.-Legend:Felix was the elder son of Hermias, a Syrian soldier who had retired to Nola, Italy...
. The city was also the episcopal see of Saint Paulinus of Nola, a major theologian and writer of the late Western Roman Empire, and who is also credited with inventing the church bell
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
(campana in Italian, taking its name from Campania). The church erected by him in honour of St. Felix in the 4th century is extant in part.
Culture
Two fairs are held in Nola, on June 14 and November 12. June 22 or the first Sunday after is devoted to a great festival ("La Festa Dei Gigli" or "The Festival of the Lillies") in honor of St. PaulinusPaulinus of Nola
Saint Paulinus of Nola, also known as Pontificus Meropius Anicius Paulinus was a Roman senator who converted to a severe monasticism in 394...
. The festival lasts seven days, starting from the last Sunday before 22 June. In honor of St. Paulinus, eight lilies and a boat are made of wood, covered with papier-mâché from art shops of the city. The highlight of the festival is the last day, when the lilies, 25 meters high, are portative shoulder for the city's historical center, along the ritch that has been repeated more than a thousand years. Each lily is a corporation of workers in the area of Nola. The order of lilies is as follows, respecting the tradition of the old order:
Greengrocer - Ortolano.
Pork butcher - Salumiere.
Innkeeper - Bettoliere.
Baker - Panettiere.
Boat - Barca.
Butcher - Beccaio.
Shoemaker - Calzolaio.
Smith - Fabbro.
Dressmaker - Sarto.
For seven days, the city relives its full historical and folklore of his faith to St. Paul's. Throughout the week each lily organizes evenings where you can dance, drink and have fun. The festival of 2010 was nominated along with other similar festivals, on the Italian territory, to become a Unesco world heritage site.
External links
- Relazione della Commissione Parlamentare, a relation about the camorra in Campania (October 2000)
- "The Death Triangle", published on the Italian newspaper Repubblica.it (2004)
- Website of the festival in honor of Paulinus
- Information site dedicated to the Feast of the Lilies
- Information portal of Nola and the Feastival of the Lilies
- One of the "fishing boats" of the Feastival of the Lilies
- http://www.comune.nola.na.it/