Bisceglie
| Bisceglie | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comune | ||
| Comune di Bisceglie | ||
|
The harbour | ||
| ||
  Bisceglie Location of Bisceglie in Italy | ||
| Coordinates: 41°14′35″N 16°30′19″E / 41.24306°N 16.50528°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region |
 Apulia | |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Barletta-Andria-Trani (BT) | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Francesco Carlo Spina (Scelta Civica) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 68.48 km2 (26.44 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) | |
| Population (1 January 2014)[1] | ||
| • Total | 55,424 | |
| • Density | 810/km2 (2,100/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Biscegliesi | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 76011 | |
| Dialing code | 080 | |
| Patron saint | Sts. Maurus, Sergius and Pantaleon[2] | |
| Saint day | First Monday in August | |
| Website | Official website | |
Bisceglie (Italian pronunciation: [biʃˈʃeʎʎe]) is a town and comune on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of c. 55,424, in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia (Italian: Puglia), in southern Italy.
History
According to one theory, in Roman times there would have been a settlement here called Vigiliae (Vigil). The modern city was founded by the Normans in the 11th century and enlarged under the Aragonese dynasty of Naples in the 15th century.
Ecclesiastical history
Around 800 AD, the Diocese of Bisceglie was established.
It was suppressed on 27 June 1818, its territory and title being merged into the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Trani-Bisceglie.[3][4]
Main sights
- Cathedral (13th century)
- Church of Santa Margherita, in Romanesque-Apulian style (12th century), with fine canopied tombs of the Falcone family[5]
- Norman castle and tower
- Abbey of S. Adoeno (11th century)
- grottoes of Santa Croce
- 4 dolmens
Also notable is the naturalistic area of Pantano-Ripalta.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Bisceglie is twinned with :
-
San Pancrazio Salentino, Italy -
Fuheis, Jordan -
Khan Yunis, Palestine -
Tartus, Syria -
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Poland
Notable people
- Louis I, Duke of Anjou died there in 1384
- Cesare Fracanzano (1605–51) tenebrist painter
- Gaetano Veneziano (1665–1716) baroque composer
- Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829) guitar virtuoso and composer
- Leonardo de Mango (1843–1930) orientalist painter
- Mauro Cozzoli (1946), theologian and writer
- Erica Mou (1990) pop-singer and musician
- Nancy Dell'Olio (1961) lawyer
Transport
Bisceglie railway station links the town with cities such as Rome, Bologna, Ancona, Foggia, Bari, Lecce and Taranto.
Neighbouring communes
Corato, Molfetta, Ruvo di Puglia, Terlizzi, Trani, Andria
Sources and External links
Notes
- ↑ Population data from Istat
- ↑ Source for patrons: http://www.comuni-italiani.it/072/009/index.html
- ↑ "Diocese of Bisceglie"Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 7, 2016
- ↑ "Diocese of Bisceglie" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 7, 2016
- ↑
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bisceglie". Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 992.