San Cono
Encyclopedia
San Cono is a small village and comune
in the province of Catania
on the island of Sicily
in the country of Italy
. It is an agricultural community, and is known particularly for its production of prickly pears
. A major festival in San Cono is the Sagra del Ficodindia (which translates to the Festival of the Prickly Pears), held on the first Sunday in October each year.
Chiesa Madre is the town's oldest church, presumably dating back to the 18th century. The altar has a statue of Saint Cono, and the Trigonia coat of arms
carved into the sides. The church's ceiling features paintings representing the life of the saint.
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 Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
on the island of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in the country 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...
. It is an agricultural community, and is known particularly for its production of prickly pears
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
. A major festival in San Cono is the Sagra del Ficodindia (which translates to the Festival of the Prickly Pears), held on the first Sunday in October each year.
History
The town was named San Cono in 1785 by its founder, the Duke Trigonia. In 1883, the territory was divided into several parts and rented to the town's inhabitants. The town belonged to the Trigonia family until the abolition of feudal rights.Main sights
The Monument to the Fallen is situated in the centre of the public square. It was constructed between 1967 and 1968 to commemorate those who lost their lives in the world wars.Chiesa Madre is the town's oldest church, presumably dating back to the 18th century. The altar has a statue of Saint Cono, and the Trigonia coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
carved into the sides. The church's ceiling features paintings representing the life of the saint.