Lauria

Lauria It is a municipality in the province of Power. It is historically the largest town – both in terms of area and population – in south-western Lucania. It borders Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Latronico, Castelsaraceno, Moliterno, Lagonegro, Nemoli, Trecchina, and the towns of Tortora and Laino Borgo in the province of Cosenza.

The town lies at the crossroads of the Sinni, Mercure, Noce and Agri valleys. Divided into two medieval settlements – the castle and the village – it was once the seat of a county and the birthplace of the legendary Ruggiero di Lauria.

Physical Geography

The town, situated between Campania and Calabria, is a junction for three main road routes:

• the A2 motorway (Mediterranean Motorway) between Salerno and Reggio Calabria, which roughly follows the route of the ancient Roman road from Capua to Rhegium;
• the Sinnica Valley, which leads to the Ionian coast of Basilicata;
• the Noce Valley, which links the A2 motorway with the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria and Basilicata.

It is also the point where three valleys meet:

• that of Noce,
• the Sinni one
• the one at the Mercure.

Historically, Val d’Agri should also be included amongst these; it can be reached via the old route through Moliterno, which is now of secondary importance and has long been awaiting upgrading.

Lauria finds herself in set amidst one of the most picturesque landscapes of the Southern Apennines, which includes Maratea, the National Park of the Pollino, the Lucano-Val d’Agri-Lagonegrese Apennines National Park and the massif of the Sirino.

History

Origins

In written sources – which have suffered greatly as a result of the destruction of the town archives during the Lauria massacre – the ancient name Uria appears for the first time in a document drawn up in 1079 by Alfano, Archbishop of Salerno. It seems unlikely, however, that the area – through which the Via Popilia, the most important north-south route in southern Italy (now followed by the A2 motorway), passed in Roman times – remained uninhabited until the 10th century.

Significant finds from a Lucanian-era tomb in the Malfitano area clearly point to significant human settlement dating back to at least pre-Roman times. Archaeological excavations, which have long been called for, would in all likelihood bring to light a marvellous history stretching back a thousand years.

A legendary theory traces the city’s foundation to a time before 400 BC, by a Greek–Cretan colony led by Theocles and Menippe, who, having arrived in what is now the Noce Valley, at Piano dei Peri (Trecchina), and decided to settle there, naming the place Iriae in memory of the iris (Latin: iris) that had welcomed them so kindly.

The theory of Greek colonisation has never been verified due to the lack of a systematic programme of excavations within the municipal area and in neighbouring villages; there remains a wide range of possibilities regarding the origins of the name. It cannot be ruled out that the town of Mendicoleus was situated within its territory during the Roman period.

Canon Don Nicola Curzio explained that the town’s origins lay in the migration, at various times, of people who had escaped the destruction of the neighbouring towns of Iriae, Seleuci and Blanda. Iriae is thought to be the town mentioned earlier, whose inhabitants decided to seek refuge, for some unknown reason (presumably between 280 and 275 BC due to the raids by Pyrrhus, who was fighting against the Romans), in the very spot where Ruggiero di Lauria’s castle would later be built and which, at the time, was densely covered with laurel trees; Seleuci is traditionally situated in the district which later adopted the Italianised name Seluci; it was razed to the ground by the Romans during the Second Punic War (late 3rd century BC) for the support it had given to the Carthaginians; Blanda, on the other hand, is thought to have been situated in a stretch of land near Tortora, which in 914 AD was definitively destroyed by the Saracens, resulting in its abandonment by the population, some of whom moved to what is now the Ravita district, situated between the city’s two neighbourhoods.

The name ‘Lauria’ is therefore thought to have originally derived from a contraction of the Latin words ‘laurus’ (laurel) and ‘Iriae’, although etymological theory suggests that its name actually derives from the oil container placed beneath the press, which the Byzantines called a ‘laurion’. More plausible is the theory that the refounded Iriae subsequently became Uria (the ‘golden city’) at the behest of the consular tribune Gaius Aemilius Mamercinus (Latin: Caius Æmilius Mamercinus), who wished to reward the inhabitants’ hard work.

The Franciscan writer Giovanni Franchini, of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, referring to the ancient Latins, refers to Lauria by the names Ulci, Ulciana Colonia, Luria and Laorina.

In 406, Alaric’s Visigoths destroyed it, but in 460, whilst the Vandals continued their work of destruction against the Western Roman Empire of Majorian, which was slowly declining, it was entirely rebuilt at the foot of the tower constructed by the Saracens, which would later be replaced by the castle of the Aragonese admiral Ruggiero di Lauria.

In the 7th century, it became part of the Lombard domains of the Duchy of Benevento and suffered frequent raids by the Saracens, who finally destroyed the village in 916. Emperor Michael IV the Paphlagonian liberated the town from the Saracens and bestowed upon it the symbol of the basilisk, accompanied by the inscription ‘Noli me tangere’. William of Altavilla eventually named it Lauria, taking his inspiration from a lush laurel tree, which he also had painted on the coat of arms, alongside the basilisk.

The first written record of this ancient Lucanian city dates, as already mentioned, to the 11th century and refers to a ‘laura’ (monastic settlement) of Basilian monks situated on the summit of Armo Hill, where the ancient church – destroyed in 1806 by General Andrea Massena’s Napoleonic troops – was subsequently rebuilt in honour of Our Lady of the Assumption.

The Middle Ages

Lauria first appears in written records – at least in terms of a clear toponymic identification – in the Middle Ages. According to recognised scholars [no source], the settlement was founded in the 10th century around a Basilian monastery, which was situated on the site where the sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Armo was later built. It was probably the Normans who settled in the Saracen area known as Ravita (Arabic: rabit, meaning ‘nearby’ or ‘adjacent’) and built Ruggiero’s castle.

From the 12th century onwards, Lauria was the seat of a fiefdom in which craftsmanship and trade flourished. At that time, Lauria was the political and economic centre of the Noce Valley: the feudal lord was the undisputed head of this autonomous microcosm.

The founder of the Norman barony was Gibel de Loria, followed by Riccardo (from 1254 to 1266), a staunch supporter of King Manfredi, who, alongside him, met his death at the Battle of Benevento. It was under Riccardo that the town became, albeit for only a few years, the first seat of the Giustizierato of Basilicata. Riccardo’s eldest son, Ruggiero, became famous for being appointed Admiral of Aragon by Peter III: he was never defeated in battle and managed, on several occasions, to emerge victorious from clashes with the Angevin fleet.

Monuments and places of interest

• The ruins of the medieval castle of Ruggiero and the restored house where the Blessed Domenico Lentini was born, containing his relics, both in the Cafaro district. The numerous works of art from various periods are mainly concentrated in places of worship.
• The Mother Church of St Nicholas of Bari: this is the parish church of the district where Lentini’s tomb is located; its bell tower was built on top of the pre-existing medieval keep; the date of its foundation remains uncertain following the Napoleonic uprisings of 1806.
• Chapel of Santa Veneranda: it is tucked away in an alleyway in the Cafaro neighbourhood, at the foot of Armo Hill, and is probably the oldest in the village, having been built in the 12th century.
• Chapel of St Pasquale Baylon and St Lucia: it is situated along the steps leading up to Armo Hill.
• Santuario dell’Armo: situated near Castel Ruggiero, it stands on the hill of the same name.
• Hermitage of Sant’Elia and the Blessed Domenico Lentini: it houses 19th-century paintings and sacred objects, as well as a statue of Saint Anne.
• Chapel of San Biagio: it is situated in the historic Muraccione district.
• Capuchin Friars‘ Convent: it is attached to the 17th-century church of St Anthony; it houses a valuable 17th-century fresco and the panels from the polyptych by Ippolito Borghese
• Chapel of San Ferdinando: commissioned by the Bourbons, it is situated in the Taverna district.

 

Photo: Michele Luongo