Atina (FR)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comune di Atina | |
|---|---|
 Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Lazio |
| Province | Frosinone (FR) |
| Mayor | Natale Cerri (since May 2003) |
| Area | 490 km² (189 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2001) | |
| - Total | 4,480 |
| - Density | 9/km² (23/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | |
| Dialing code | 0776 |
| Postal code | 03042 |
| Patron | San Marco Galileo |
| - Day | October 1 |
| Website: www.comune.atina.fr.it | |
Atina is a town and commune in the province of Frosinone, Lazio region of central Italy.
[edit] History
Atina was a town of the Samnites, later conquered by the Romans.
Cicero speaks of it as a prosperous country town, which had not as yet fallen into the hands of large proprietors; and inscriptions show that in the Imperial age it was still flourishing.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire it was conquered by the Lombards, becoming part of the Duchy of Benevento in 702. Later it was ruled by the counts and the dukes of Capua, the counts of the Marsi and those of Aquino. It remained part of the Kingdom of Naples until 1860.
Once a part of the Terra di Lavoro province, it as included in the province of Frosinone in 1929.
[edit] Main sights
The walls, of carefully worked polygonal blocks of stone, are still preserved in parts, and the modern town does not fill the whole area which they enclose. One of these last is a boundary stone relating to the assignation of lands in the time of the Gracchi, of which six other examples have been found in Campania and Basilicata.
Other sights include:
- The Gothic Ducal Palace was built in 1349 by Rostaino Cantelmo. The façade has three mullioned windows and an ogival portal with an ancient Roman relief. The "Noble Floor" has a mosaic from the 2nd century BCE.
- The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in Baroque style. Was first erected in the 11th century on the remains of a temple dedicated to Saturn. The current Baroque style dates back to the 18th century. It has a nave, two aisles and frescoes of St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Transfiguration painted by Teodoro Mancini (1796-1868).
- The Convent of St. Francis (17th century). Inhabited by Franciscan monks until 1865 when it was abandoned. In 1871 it became property of the municipality of Atina.
