Papasidero
| Papasidero | |
|---|---|
| Comune | |
| Comune di Papasidero | |
 Papasidero
|
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| Coordinates: 39°52′N 15°54′E / 39.867°N 15.900°ECoordinates: 39°52′N 15°54′E / 39.867°N 15.900°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Calabria |
| Province / Metropolitan city | Cosenza (CS) |
| Frazioni | Avena, Tremoli, Montagna, Nuppolara, Santo Nocaio, Vitimoso |
| Area | |
| • Total | 54 km2 (21 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 210 m (690 ft) |
| Population (December 31, 2004) | |
| • Total | 1,019 |
| • Density | 19/km2 (49/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 87020 |
| Dialing code | 0981 |
| Patron saint | San Rocco |
| Website | Official website |
Papasidero is a village and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region, southern Italy. It is part of Pollino National Park.
Papasidero is situated on a rocky spur 210 m above the sea level and is crossed by Lao and Santo Nocajo rivers. It is 18 km from SA-RC motorway and 23 km from the Tyrrhenian sea. Its territory covers an area of 54 square km and is entirely part of Pollino National Park.
The name Papasidero derives from the name of an abbot (Papas-Isidoros, father or priest Isidore) head of a monastery in the Mercuriense Region, home of Basilian monasticism.
Humans have occupied the area since prehistoric times, as confirmed by an important archaeological site, LaGrotta Romito, discovered in 1961. The historic centre has a typically medieval urban style. It was built over the 12th and 13th centuries. From Lombard beginnings, it became a fortress castle in the Sveva Norman period (1190–1250) and was expanded under the Angioino in the 14th century, and under Aragon (from 1400 to 1500).
The church of Saint Constantine became a parish in 1510. The place was possessed by the descendants of the Norman Alitto of Sanseverino and Spinelli di Scalea until 1806. Since 1593 a Monte di Pietà has operated, set up by Owen Lewis (Ludovico Audoeno) who was Bishop of Cassano; and starting from the 17th century the Brotherhood of the Assumption. Charles Paolino (1723–1803) humanist, Francesco Mastrot (1777–1847) teacher, and Mary Angelica Mastrot (1851–1891) mystic, were all born here.
A Byzantine church dating from the year one thousand, the Mother Shrine of Constantinople XVII Century was built in the middle of 600 was extended to the end of 700 and in the first half of the 19th century. It has a T plan with three naves. A large fresco was painted between 700 and 800, depicting the Virgin and Child and a bishop kneeling before the high Archangel Michele who pierces Satan in flames.
This important discovery, which occurred in 1961 in the territory of Papasidero, has shed a light on events in prehistoric northern Calabria, and showed that it was inhabited at least 20,000 years ago. The Romito man was a Cro-Magnon; he did not keep cattle or practise agriculture or make ceramics. The cave is divided into two distinct areas: the actual cave, about twenty metres deep, which goes into the limestone formation with a narrow dark tunnel, and the guard that extends for about 34 metres east-west.
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Wikipedia