Santa Cristina Gela

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View of Santa Cristina Gela from a nearby hill
View of Santa Cristina Gela from a nearby hill

Santa Cristina Gela or Sëndahstina or Sëndastina in its local language, is a town in the province of Palermo in Sicily. As of 2007 Santa Cristina Gela had an estimated population of 919. [1] The town is home to a large Arbëreshë community who maintain the Latin Catholic rite, as opposed to that of neighboring Arberesh town Piana degli Albanesi which maintains the Byzantine Catholic rite.

Common names in the village are: Palermo,Di Maggio, Criscione, Musacchia (an Italianisation of the Albanian caste Myzeqe), Polizzi, Mandalá, Cucciarré, and Matranga.

[edit] History

Santa Cristina Gela was founded in the late 18th century by a group of four farmer families from Piana degli Albanesi.

In 1890 CE the parish priest of the village, papas Gaetano Arcoleo, changed the rite of mass from Byzantine catholic to Latin rite.

Santa Cristina Church
Santa Cristina Church

The original Albanian village from where the ancestors of Santa Cristina Gela came is Himara in Southern Albania.

[edit] Local Dialect Words

Ará = Yes

i/e Bukur = Beautiful

Jo = No,

Klisha = Church

Purdhë = Mushroom

Xhishem = I undress

Gjishem = I knead

Kujtonj = I remember

[edit] Sources


Coordinates: 37°59′N, 13°20′E