Recanati
Encyclopedia
Recanati is a town and comune
in the Province of Macerata
, Marche
region of Italy
. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th century, was famous for its international fair. In the March 1798 it was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is the hometown of tenor Beniamino Gigli
and poet Giacomo Leopardi
, which is why the town is known to some as "the city of poetry". It contains the Teatro Persiani named after the composer of operas in the first part of the 19th Century, Giuseppe Persiani
, who was born in the town in 1799.
, Germany
who was one of the Chassidei Ashkenaz
, a group of German pietists. His work, Sefer HaRokeiach, is a guide to ethics
and halacha. wrote a mystical commentary on the Torah
. Rabbi Elazar Rokeiach was also the teacher of Nachmanides, whom Rabbi Recanati quotes frequently in his work. Last names have been derived and changed to Recanati, i.e. Agostino Recanati
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:...
in the Province of Macerata
Province of Macerata
The Province of Macerata is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Macerata.It has an area of 2,774 km², and a total population of 301,701 . There are 57 comunes in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Macerata.-External links:*...
, Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of 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...
. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th century, was famous for its international fair. In the March 1798 it was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte.
It is the hometown of tenor Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli
Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer. The most famous tenor of his generation, he was renowned internationally for the great beauty of his voice and the soundness of his vocal technique. Music critics sometimes took him to task, however, for what was perceived to be the over-emotionalism...
and poet Giacomo Leopardi
Giacomo Leopardi
Giacomo Taldegardo Francesco di Sales Saverio Pietro Leopardi was an Italian poet, essayist, philosopher, and philologist...
, which is why the town is known to some as "the city of poetry". It contains the Teatro Persiani named after the composer of operas in the first part of the 19th Century, Giuseppe Persiani
Giuseppe Persiani
Giuseppe Persiani was an Italian opera composer. He wrote his first opera - one of 11 - in 1826 but, after his marriage the soprano Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani, who was to become a significant singer in her time, he devoted much of his efforts to supporting her career...
, who was born in the town in 1799.
Main sights
- Church of Santa Maria di Castelnuovo (12th century). It has a portal with a Byzantine style lunette, signed and dated 1253, depicting the Madonna Enthroned with Sts. Michael and Gabriel. The interior has a fresco by Pietro di Domenico da Montepulciano
- Montefiore Castle, dating to the late Middle Ages. It has a polygonal plan with a high tower with merlons.
- Church and cloister of Sant'Agostino (13th century), remade one century later together with the cathedral. In has a portal in Istrian stoneIstrian stoneIstrian stone, pietra d'Istria, the characteristic group of building stones in the architecture of Venice and Dalmatia, is a dense type of impermeable limestones that was quarried in Istria, between Portorož and Pula....
by Giuliano da MaianoGiuliano da MaianoGiuliano da Maiano was an Italian architect, intarsia-worker and sculptor, the elder brother of Benedetto da Maiano, with whom he often collaborated.- Biography :...
. The interior was remade in the 18th century under design by Ferdinando Galli da Bibbiena, with canvasses by PomarancioPomarancioThere are three Italian artists who went by the name of Pomarancio or Il Pomarancio :*Antonio Circignani *Niccolò Circignani *Cristoforo Roncalli...
, Pier Simone Fanelli, Felice DamianiFelice DamianiFelice Damiani was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerism period. He was also called Felice da Gubbio. He painted a Baptism of Sant'Agostino in the church of Sant'Agostino and an Adoration of the Magi for the church of San Domenico in Gubbio. He painted a Madonna de'Lumi for a...
. - CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
barracks (14th century) - Church of St. Vitus, built over a pre-existing Romanesque-Byzantine edifice. It was given the current appearance in the mid-17th century, only the apse and the bell tower remaining of the former structure. The façade was remade after an earthquake in 1741 according to a design by Luigi VanvitelliLuigi VanvitelliLuigi Vanvitelli was an Italian engineer and architect. The most prominent 18th-century architect of Italy, he practiced a sober classicizing academic Late Baroque style that made an easy transition to Neoclassicism.-Biography:Vanvitelli was born at Naples, the son of a Dutch painter of land and...
. Artworks in the interior include canvasses by Pomarancio, Fanelli, Felice Damiano da Gubbio (1582), Giuseppe Valeriani (1550) and Paolo de MatteisPaolo de MatteisPaolo de Matteis was an Italian painter.He was born in Cilento near Salerno, and died in Naples. He trained with Francesco di Maria in Naples, then with Luca Giordano. He came to the employ of the Spanish Viceroy of Naples. From 1702 to 1705, de' Matteis worked in Paris, Calabria, and Genoa...
(1727). - Co-Cathedral of St. Flavian (14th century), with the annexed Bishop's Palace and the Diocesan Museum. Pope Gregory XII is buried here.
- Church of San Domenico (15th century), with a 1481 portal by Giuliano da Maiano. It houses the Glory of St. Vincent Ferrer by Lorenzo LottoLorenzo LottoLorenzo Lotto was a Northern Italian painter draughtsman and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school. He painted mainly altarpieces, religious subjects and portraits...
. - Church of San Pietrino (14th century), with a 18th century façade attributed to Vanvitelli.
- Church of Madonna delle Grazie (1465)
- Palazzo Venieri, designed by Giuliano da Maiano.
- Palazzo Mazzagalli, designed by Giuliano da Maiano or Luciano LauranaLuciano LauranaLuciano Laurana was a Croatian or Italian architect and engineer from the historic Vrana settlement near the town of Zadar in Dalmatia, Croatia. After education by his father Martin in Vrana settlement, he worked mostly in Italy during the late 15th century...
. - Neolithic necropolises of Fontenoce and Cava Kock (4th millennium BC).
- Town Museum of Villa Colloredo Mels, housing, among the other, Lorenzo Lotto's Recanati PolyptychRecanati PolyptychThe Recanati Polyptych is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto, executed in 1506-1508 and housed in the Civic Museum of Villa Colloredo Mels, Recanati, Italy. The work is dated and signed Laurent[ius] Lotus MDVIII.Lotto began to work on the piece in 1506 as a devotional for...
.
Jewish population
The city of Recanati had a fairly large Jewish population for hundreds of years. Among the scholars produced by the city were Rabbi Menachem Recanati (A.D. 1223-1290) author of the Kabbalistic work The reasons of the Mitzvot. He was a student of Rabbi Elazar Rokeiach (1165–1238) from WormsWorms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
who was one of the Chassidei Ashkenaz
Ashkenaz
In the Bible, Ashkenaz is Gomer's first son, brother of Riphath and Togarmah , thereby a Japhetic descendant of Noah. A kingdom of Ashkenaz is called together with Ararat and Minni against Babylon In the Bible, Ashkenaz (Heb. אַשְׁכֲּנָז) is Gomer's first son, brother of Riphath and Togarmah (Gen....
, a group of German pietists. His work, Sefer HaRokeiach, is a guide to ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and halacha. wrote a mystical commentary on the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. Rabbi Elazar Rokeiach was also the teacher of Nachmanides, whom Rabbi Recanati quotes frequently in his work. Last names have been derived and changed to Recanati, i.e. Agostino Recanati