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remote origins, Lucera has been important
since ancient times. Polibius, Pliny, Aristotle,
Cicero, Caesar, Livy and others speak of its
splendour in their writings.
Various archeological studies have brought
to light remains from various ages: from Neolithic
to Bronze, from Greek to Daunian and Samnite
until the Roman Empire. It seems that the
name LUCERA comes from the town’s position:
“luc” (wood) and “eri”
(sacred) – two Etruscan words from which
“LOUCERIA”, thus arriving at today’s
name “LUCERA”.
An ally of Rome until the end of the Samnite
wars, it was then elevated into a colony enjoying
Latin rights. A town with a great deal of
independence, with its own law courts and
the right to coin its own money and thus great
privileges in fiscal matters.
In the late Middle Ages under Longobard rule,
Lucera was governed by Dukes of Benevento
who elevated the town to the seat of “Castaldato”
– the Castaldo being a sort of a king’s
steward. –
Conquered by the French and reconquered by
Grimoaldo, finally passed under Byzantine
rule, it was the residence of the “Catapano”
that is a governor of those times from where
“la Capitanata” took its name.
Under the following Norman rule the town became
increasingly wealthy until, in 1200, it bound
its name to the Swabian family and its most
memorable historical period. Here between
1222 and 1223 Federico II transferred 60 thousand
Saracens who made the place a Muslim centre
in Italy with mosques, harems and Arabs customs.
Loyal to its emperor who died on the 13th
December 1250 in Castelfiorentino, at seven
miles from its walls, Lucera enjoyed a period
of great culture and craftwork until after
the battle of Benevento in 1266, it was assaulted
by the Angevins who changed its name into
“Città di Santa Maria”
to commemorate the defeat of the heathen Muslems.
After bloodily slaying about 20.000 Saracens,
the Angevins partly modified the castle which
had been built by FedericoII (the Queen’s
or Lioness’s tower belongs to this period).
On the ruins of the mosque the cathedral was
erected and a small distance away the beautiful
church of San Francesco, from where the humble
and compassionate monk “il poverello
di Lucera” Francesco Antonio Fasano,
known as “il Padre Maestro” began
to preach.
A strategic spot in the fighting between Joan
I and her brother in law Ludwig of Hungary,
Lucera reached, in an air of renewed civil
and economic life, a new municipal order.
Improved by the institution of the “Regia
Audientia Provincialis”, highest civil
and penal law court of the “Capitanata”
and of the “Contado del Molise”,
which had a great deal to do with later history,
Lucera once again found itself the stage for
bitter fighting between French and Spanish.
The Spaniards were the victors after the “Battle
of Cerignola”.
Gradually Lucera’s political importance
declined, the city fell under Bourbon rule
which ceased in 1806 with the return to French
government. It was a fatal year for Lucera
because from that moment the ancient town
of Daunia ceased to be the chief town of “Capitanata”
and “Contado del Molise” and seat
of the “Regia Audentia Provincialis”.
Two years later, in 1808, the Law Court was
restored. This and the Royal College which
for several years had offered university courses
of law, medicine and agriculture became a
source of well cultured men with new ideas
and political enthusiasm. Several associations
grew from here including the “Propaganda”
with liberal aspirations and the intention
to unite the country.
Between the end of ‘800 and the beginning
of ‘900 the flour mills and the brick
industry increased along with the growth of
cereals, fruit and vegetables. Animal breeding
was also increased with the inauguration of
the railway station in 1887, moreover some
local banks were built.
These fervent events increased the population’s
involvement in politics and in 1909 a socialist
party was formed led by a peasant, Michele
Ferrone, who was then elected mayor of the
town.
Speaker for the town’s more advanced
requests was the newspaper “Il Foglietto”
founded by Gaetano Pitta. It records memorable
election campaigns in the college of Lucera
of which Ruggero Bonghi and Antonio Salandra
were vivacious protagonists. After the First
World War, sharpened contrasts between social
classes caused an increased interest in local
political life, which was slowed down only
by the advent of Fascism to which Lucera partially
adhered if only formally because the yearnings
for liberty were never extinguished in the
inhabitants of this ancient land of Dauni.
The following is recent history.
Today Lucera has about 35.000 inhabitants,
with a daily population of about 40.000 due
to the numerous students and workers who commute
from Subappennino. For them Lucera is the
natural centre and offers the Law Courts,
schools of every kind, a Bishop’s court,
Finance office, Police Station and “Carabinieri”,
Education offices, Health Centre, Hospital.
a Town Clerk, a wealthy museum, the “Ruggero
Bonghi” Public Library with over a 100
thousand books and some precious “incunabula”
(early printed books) an Old People’s
Home, a college for farm workers’ orphans
and a National Boarding School plus many other
institutions.
Lucera has various monuments: the Swabian-Angevins
Fortress, the Roman Amphitheatre, the XIV
century Cathedral, San Francesco’s Church
(of the same period as the Cathedral) etc.,
all interesting buildings and a “centro
storico” (ancient downtown) that is
amongst the most beautiful of Southern Italy.
Soon to be relinked to Foggia by the railway
(restoration work is in progress), Lucera
stands out on a hill at a few Kilometres from
the green “Subappennino Dauno”
and the majestic Gargano. It is linked to
Campobasso by a fast flowing motorway and
awaits to eventually be linked by railway
via Campobasso to Rome.
Work is also in progress to restore the beautiful
public theatre “Garibaldi” which
is a smaller copy of Bari’s “Petruzzelli”.
Amongst other things the New Culture Centre
at Lucera edits an information monthly “Il
Centro” which is to be considered as
a delicate thread across which Lucereans scattered
for various reason in all the corners of the
world can keep their affectionate ties with
their native land.
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