Francesco Maria Mirabella

Francesco Maria Mirabella (Alcamo, 4 April 1850 – Alcamo, 27 December 1931) was an Italian historian, educator, and poet.

He was born in Alcamo (in the province of Trapani): his father was Ludovico Mirabella, an ebonist and sculptor, among whose works there is a wooden statue of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Church of Saint Anne. After ending his studies with Jesuits, he attended the Royal Gimnasium getting the Teacher Training School diploma. So he started his school career first at Erice, then at Castellammare del Golfo and later in Alcamo. When he was 39 he married with Maria Culmone and they had five children.

Mirabella was a teacher for several years, and since 1903 he was a head teacher.

He also had a very great passion for the historical studies on the territory of Alcamo, and published more than 50 works such as essays and books on the literature and art of Sicily and Alcamo. It is very important the correspondence between Mirabella and Giuseppe Pitrè, which contains information about the folkloristic material sent to him.

Like Pietro Maria Rocca, he was also engaged with the works of cataloguing of the Civic Library and the notarial Archive. He died on 27 December 1931.

After his death, they entitled him the homonymous Comprehensive School which is located in Viale Italia in Alcamo.

1 A la Madonna di li miraculi (rhymes in Sicilian dialect; Alcamo: Tip. Jemma, 1954 (posthumous)

...
Wikipedia