Maiori, a bit of History

S. M. del Carmine e S. M. a Mare, Maiori

2 photos by Maria Schiavo, 2 photos by Gaia Gambardella

MAIORI, a bit of HISTORY

There seems to be no trace of ancient Rome on the city territory.

However, the presence here of ancient Romans is not to be excluded, given the existence of the safe archaeological evidence, both in Tramonti and in Minori.

Between 839 and 1131, the history of Maiori – like that of the other countries of the Coast – is certainly linked to that of the Republic of Amalfi, first, and that of the Duchy of Amalfi, then.

Over the centuries after the 1000s, there is a significant human presence on the territory, with autonomous settlements that, over time, contribute to the formation of the center of Maiori.

The name, which refers to the River Reghinna Maior, also changes; it becomes Maiori.

With the fall of Amalfi, all the cities of the Coast are part of the Kingdom of Sicily (1130–1816).

Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), King of Sicily between 1266 and 1282, donates the territory of Maiori to his wife.

In 1349, the city, with other centers, becomes a fief of the Florentine Niccolò Acciaiuoli (1310-1365), linked to the court.

Later, Maiori follows the fortunes of Amalfi and is a fief of the Orsini and Piccolomini until 1583.

Some fortifications are built here, as

  • Rocca Sant’Angelo, replaced by the Collegiata di Santa Maria a Mare (year 838 and following)
  • the Bastion of San Sebastiano (9th – 15th centuries), with some features still visible
  • the Castle of San Nicola de Thoro-Plano (15th century and earlier), still existing
  • the City Towers and the Coastal Towers (13th – 16th centuries).

In the nineteenth and after, the city is the protagonist of the cultural life of the Coast, with a remarkable pictorial school and a significant historiographical production.

In the last century, it often welcomes the father of film neorealism, the director Roberto Rossellini. He shoots a few films here, with appearances and protagonists from Maiori.

Maiori has been devastated over the centuries by natural events, up to perhaps the most serious: the flood of 1954.

After that date, reconstruction leads to the upheaval of much of the city’s historical urban fabric.

Maiori was declared a city by the President of the Republic, Mattarella, in 2015.

TRADUZIONE a CURA di

GAIA GAMBARDELLA

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