Nocera Superiore
Encyclopedia
Nocera Superiore is a town and comune
in the province of Salerno
in the Campania
region of south-western Italy
.
city, founded around the 7th century BC. After the Etruscans abandoned the area, Nuceria Alfaterna became a Samnite
city, the leader of a confederation comprising Stabia, Ercolano
, Pompeii
and Sorrento
, and with them suffered during the 62 AD earthquake and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. During the Samnite Wars
it sided against ancient Rome
, and in 308 BC it was destroyed by the troops of Quintus Fabius Maximus
; in the Second Punic War
it was an allied of Rome was besieged by Hannibal, who had its male population killed. The city had an alphabet
of its own, based on the Greek
and Etruscan ones, and minted coins. Its territory was ravaged during the Social War
(90 BC) and by the troops of Spartacus
.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
, it was briefly ruled by the Ostrogoths; after having been reacquired by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was besieged by the Lombards
of Arechis I of Benevento
who captured it in 601, and selected Nocera as a county seat, as part of the Duchy of Benevento
. After the mid-9th century Nocera was part of the principality of Salerno
first, and then of the principality of Capua
. In the 12th century it was destroyed by Roger II of Sicily
, who fought here a battle in 1132
; most the population moved to what is now Nocera Inferiore
. Rebuilt, it was known as Nuceria Christianorum under the Angevine
Kings of Naples
(1266-1435). In the 15th century it was renamed as Nocera de' Pagani.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Salerno
Province of Salerno
The Province of Salerno is a province in the Campania region of Italy.-Geography:The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 139,579; Cava de' Tirreni with a population of 53,488; Battipaglia with a population of 51,115; and Nocera Inferiore which has a...
in the Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
region of south-western Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
It was an EtruscanEtruscan
-Etruscan civilization:*Etruscan alphabet*Etruscan architecture*Etruscan art*Etruscan cities*Etruscan civilization*Etruscan coins*Etruscan language*Etruscan mythology*Etruscan numerals*Etruscan society*Etruscan terracotta warriors*Etruscan warfare...
city, founded around the 7th century BC. After the Etruscans abandoned the area, Nuceria Alfaterna became a Samnite
Samnite
Samnite is an adjective meaning "having to do with ancient Samnium."Samnite can also mean* Samnites, the people of ancient Samnium* Samnite , a gladiator who fought with the equipment and in the manner of a Samnite soldier...
city, the leader of a confederation comprising Stabia, Ercolano
Ercolano
Ercolano is a town and comune in the province of Naples, Campania . It lies at the western foot of Mount Vesuvius, on the Bay of Naples, just southeast of the city of Naples. The medieval town of Resina was built on the volcanic material left by the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the ancient...
, Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
and Sorrento
Sorrento
Sorrento is the name of many cities and towns:*Sorrento, Italy*Sorrento, Florida, United States*Sorrento, Louisiana, United States*Sorrento, Maine, United States*Sorrento, Victoria, a township on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia...
, and with them suffered during the 62 AD earthquake and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. During the Samnite Wars
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
it sided against ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, and in 308 BC it was destroyed by the troops of Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus most commonly refers to;*Quintus Fabius Maximus*A number of ancient Romans from the gens Fabia.The ancient Romans that share the name Quintus Fabius Maximus include:* Quintus Fabius Maximus, augur 203–196 BC....
; in the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
it was an allied of Rome was besieged by Hannibal, who had its male population killed. The city had an alphabet
Old Italic alphabet
Old Italic refers to several now extinct alphabet systems used on the Italian Peninsula in ancient times for various Indo-European languages and non-Indo-European languages...
of its own, based on the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
and Etruscan ones, and minted coins. Its territory was ravaged during the Social War
Social War
The Allied War was a war waged from 91 to 88 BC between the Roman Republic and several of the other cities in Italy, which prior to the war had been Roman allies for centuries.-Origins:The Early Italian campaigns saw the Roman conquest of Italy...
(90 BC) and by the troops of Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, it was briefly ruled by the Ostrogoths; after having been reacquired by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was besieged by the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
of Arechis I of Benevento
Arechis I of Benevento
Arechis I was the second duke of Benevento from 591 to his death in 641, a reign of half a century. He was from Friuli and was a relative of the dukes there, maybe a nephew of Zotto, his predecessor. He was appointed by King Agilulf in the spring of 591, after Zotto's death...
who captured it in 601, and selected Nocera as a county seat, as part of the Duchy of Benevento
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
. After the mid-9th century Nocera was part of the principality of Salerno
Principality of Salerno
The Lombard Principality of Salerno was a South Italian state, centered on the port city of Salerno, formed in 851 out of the Principality of Benevento after a decade-long civil war....
first, and then of the principality of Capua
Principality of Capua
The Principality of Capua was a Lombard state in Southern Italy, usually de facto independent, but under the varying suzerainty of Western and Eastern Roman Empires. It was originally a gastaldate, then a county, within the principality of Salerno....
. In the 12th century it was destroyed by Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
, who fought here a battle in 1132
Battle of Nocera
The Battle of Nocera or Scafati was the first major battle of Roger II of Sicily and one of two of his major defeats at the hands of Count Ranulf of Alife.-Background:...
; most the population moved to what is now Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore, formerly Nocera dei Pagani, is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 km east-south-east of Naples by rail.-History:...
. Rebuilt, it was known as Nuceria Christianorum under the Angevine
House of Anjou
The Angevins, also known as the House of Anjou, were a noble family founded in the early years of the Carolingian Empire. They first emerged as part of the minor feudal nobility, in what would soon be known as the Kingdom of France during the 10th century...
Kings of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
(1266-1435). In the 15th century it was renamed as Nocera de' Pagani.
Main sights
- Palaeo-Christian Baptistery of Santa Maria Maggiore. It is a 6th century circular structure, based on Byzantine styleByzantine architectureByzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
; it houses the second largest baptismal fontBaptismal fontA baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
in Italy. It has a double row of 15 columns, having capitals from other buildings, and supporting a dome. - Materdomini Basilica