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 The Teja mount, on which the country is constructed, is high 824 meters s.l.m. From lassù a scene that leaves perplexed: it seems that the constructions, set up with regulating skill, recall wall them dionigiane of the Eurialo castle or a “fortified roman castrum”. Around, more low, the scoscese cliffs offer asylum to a frugale flora. Pianticelle lovers of the sun accustomed to survive to the brinate ones and the twenty icy ones of inverni the agirensi, thorns of eringi, finocchi selvati to us, saponarie grass or “muccialiebbri”, capers, than makes road between the fissures of cliffs and gives to a tone of color to the white women stones of the strapiombi. In all these ages this mount of Agira, its solar burning nature has always influenced on the unforeseeable character, sometimes sonnolento, talora the book of martyrs but never cruel and violent, of people inhabit that it above all but it has hit the fantasy and the greed of the aliens whom they have tried to rape sonnolenta the tranquillity of the countrymen. They are it shakes it years that “sonnecchiano” and from then all have tried to provoke this strange character, to free Agira from true and is made tyrannous, of propinare with the dropper their magnificent culture and civilization. We begin with the divine Ercole which armed with its clava gave, second it, sfoltita freeing to us from the tribes of the Sicani, moreover ours arched progenitors to us. Timoleonte the Corinzio expected hundreds a annual contribution of giumente in exchange for its protection. The cartaginesi of Imilicone, in the 396 a.C made their Bravo attempt to offer to aid, defense and lose interested friendship, for not demanded other. Not to mention the Roman: while all it fell under the inexorable action of the latinizzazione, beneamato the pretore Verre cleaned up the country from the superfluous one and to the agirensi it did not remain that epitaffio of Guide… “ac the primum de conoscite argyriensi populo fideli illustrious ET. East Argyriensi in primis honesta civitas siciliae…” that is the agirini they held faith totally to the demands for honorarium of Guide adding perloppiù vitto and lodging. Also the story that ago Plinio in its Istorie seems an ironic joke… “the agirensi was dealt like polulates of the Lazio with the privileges of the coloni…” It is obvious that the historian never did not o to Agira. The things would be due to change with the emperor Augusto and its Pax Augustea. This ended in order to that is favor only the construction of some villa for eminent citizens roman (like that found again under the former barracks of the police officers) or the creation of the Latifunda of feudi where enslaved and liberti they came cruel used in the masses (or masserie) like those of the Thesauro, Cannameli or Urselluzzo. After the WAYS century, with Belisario, the Sicily (and therefore also Agira) divenne province bizantina. The Bizantini, mystics, separated and paludati masters in their tuniche fastose, marked scialbo an interval of economic and social flattening. They decreed of onerosi unjust taxes that vessarono the lean yield of the sventurati agirensi. Towards the 850 the soldiers of the clever and cruel Al ' Umari arrived. The ill-famed ones saraceni met victoriously in contrada Gebbie (called then slowly of the dead men) with a large contingent bizantino. Who sottomotteva to Allah did not come itself dealt to fil of scimitarra while the survivors started on the markets of slaves. Most fortunate they could live in relative tranquillity behind payment of a tax on the infedeli said “Kharajh”. Al ' Umari made to construct of “amsar”, little ones garrisons fortified near contrada Gianguzzo, Galati and Frontè connected from each other and struck from knights Berbers whom riscuoteva it pays of the local population. The conquest of the country from Normanna part sure found the agirensi accustomed to the domination Muslim. The normanni, in 1093, they were already the masters of Nicosia, Sperlinga and other asseragliati viciniori centers and the opposite resistance from the saraceni to Argiriu, did not make them to be left over animated from pacific intentions in the comparisons of the countrymen orami nearly islamizzati. But a sad episode them somewhat furious yields and that is the dead women of the Conte di Sarlo, natural son of Ruggero d' Altavilla. Even if the dead women of the young person happened in the course of a loyal crash this that inasprì the guerrieri of Olptralpe was the macabro and cruel continuation of the duel with the exposure of the head of the Conte young person on a picca to the doors of Nicosia. The normanni, of generous spirit and being worth, they were often cruel and vendicativ. In fact, with a deployment of armed and you arm remarkable, took to Agira establishing a new period of dominion. New laws and new burdens for the people agirense to begin from “jus primae noctis” that is the first night of the spouse to consume with the signorotto local anzichè with the husband. The people could not abandon the territory of the feudo tantomeno to possess some property or piece of real estate. Between these “gentleman” it is necessary to remember Wiliemo Spatajo that he limited the area of feudale competence to the water course and the torrents that encircled Agira. The reconstruction of the borders, large way, can be made thus: to north the Salso river, south the Dittaino, east the Giacchia Walloon and the west the Salted Walloon. Between these feudi it comes still remembered Chisel, formed from 552 spirits, subdivided then in Vaccarizzo and Saracini and assigned to the Abbey of Saint Latin Maria. To the Normanni they succeeded the Svevi which placed the bases for a unitary reign. Federico II, resosi account that in the several municipalities sicialian reigned anarchy and independence, establishes a new antifeudale and independent concept. It appeared consequently animated of the best intentions towards the sicialian people and in the comparisons of the agirensi. But the dissatisfaction matured very soon in opened rebellions. It was the time of the famous motions guelfi already begun in Sicily you make from 1232. The reaction of the Monarch was pitiless and extinguished in the blood the popular sollevazioni persecuting the rebellious countries between which Agira. With the dead women of Federico, happened in 1250, the rebellions did not stop. Indeed. Meantime Carl D' Angiò, invested from Pope Clemente WAYS, present King of Sicily in Sicily with the conqueror air increasing itself consequently the revolt motions. For once a lot the agirensi reacted in worthy way of overwhelmed people, and undressed of commodities and cattle, they persecuted the sgherri provenzali till to hang sadly famous head, a sure De the Court, in a valley of the country whom they give then called itself Slowly of the Court. After the Angioini we find the Aragoneses or the “riunisi” they called as them in local jargon. In the 1354 the Ludovico was stopped to Agira reuccio, po rebels the baroque civilization and to Agira it recorded itself to accorrere of architects, maestranze, carpenters, manovali, carrettieri with consequent increment of the local population. Prospects of the churches and lesionati convents and diruiti are rifared, become rich the inner ones of putty, gildings, marbles and fresco, outside come insigni artists who do not lack to leave their print; we remember “the vergine of the true light” and the “Rosary” of Peter Novels, sarcofago in marble with the statue of S. the Patron of Antonello Gaggini and some works of caravaggesca and gagginesca school like the Madonna of the Visitazione, recently saved from the ruin from an association of protection of the artistic patrimony. In the 1693 part of these intense activities they went destroyed as a result of the catastrophic earthquake that interested also Agira. I point out to a taken place miraculous episode before the furious cataclysm. It is handed on that a devout old woman of the quarter of it puts into effect them Abbey, dreammed Saint Filippo that it exhorted to perceive the countrymen to put itself in except. In the story the old woman anticipates that 13 August the bell tower of the abbey would have fallen and raised three times undamaged. Believed from the majority of the faithfuls, these exited in the open air. To cracking of the fatidical date, while other constructions ruined furiously, only and exactly for three times, the bell tower of the church Abbey oscillated frightening straight returning between the mystical religious exaltation and the consternation of the agnostici. In century XVII they burst in the island numerous turned antiSpanish, fomented from France, that they carried to the liberation from Spain but in order to end under the dominion of same France. The curious thing is that if they had asked to a peasant then if it knew who were the king of Sicily of the time would have answered sure… “u Riuzzu Fulippuzzu” disowning completely the events happened after 1712 and tantomeno Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoia. For effect of the controriforma one recorded in economic slow but inexorable country regresso and a political one with the return to the ancient hegemonies of the dominant classes. With Ferdinand IV di Borbone the Sicily lacked productive activities absolutely. All this carried with the years to of the revolutionary motions particularly rapes to Agira where dottor the Francisco Scavone, which representative of the Municipality, had the task to organize a national military service in order to defend the country from the threat of the borbonica police. The small army, perloppiù format from peasants, labourers, shepherds and unemployed people, was the first police force agirense. Scavone was opposed little with firmness after to the emissaries of the king who asked frumento and animals from slaughter house. It refused with such firmness, surrounded from the people of Agira, than the emissaries they returned on the way of Palermo. For episodes of common arguments a simple inquiry was drafted; the report of that time points out to an unpleasant event recorded in the archives of the local gendarmeria that thus it recited: (exclusive document) REIGN OF the TWO SICILIE “the day eighteen of the year milleottocentotrentasette in that Regal District of Gendarmeria of the Municipality of Saint Filippo di Agira, circondario of Nicosia and province of Catania, in presence of me, infrawritten Sopraintendente Bartolomeo Piston and witnesses is declared: religious monaci the friar Vincenzo Stancanello and friar Gaetano Mugavero dwelling in the Monasterio di annose San Giuseppe ........ from me personally inquisiti cause issues of limits ET sconfinamento of the rabid dog nivoro, the religious industrioso Don Filippo Cucchiara of defunct massaro the Giuseppe inhabitant in the quarter of S. Antonio Abbot, from known me puranche. Qualmente the Stancanello and the Mugavero, in the confinario garden of tumolo lorodo of the quivi present Don Filippo procuratogli a serious wounding to the straight hand for blow from fire from trizzarola .....” From this gustoso report and from what usual to tell our old ones, I have breakfasts " In 1877 a law garibaldina imposed parity of rights and duties of all the citizens of forehead to the State and the abolition of the collective properties of the congregations of the assets of the Manomorta with the imposition of special taxes succession to cargo of moral and religious agencies. All this disturbed the old dominant factions which escogitarono a sad system, all meridional, of reaction to the innovationes of the laws that could offend to their interests. They gave thus life, in secret, to a species of “honored society” that acted in the shadow and to the margins of the laws of the State. The mafia families formed themselves, a pitiless hierarchy with its Don and the gangs formed from the so-called the “men of honor” and the manovalanza that money dictated to law buying up feudi and cattle. Born era the masonry today known all over the world like the Mafia. In 1882 regal a decree exhorted the authorities to limit sure privileges of the conventuali and ecclesiastical communities. To said Agira decree was interpreted in curious way that is replacing the ancient communal coat of arms of the 1354 bringing Aquila biwitness and the image of Saint Filippo with the new figure of Ercole that pulls down the Idra di Lerno, print draft from an ancient currency of Agira. Finally it is reached the national unit but several problems remain unsolved. To Agira it was in voga a quatrain in dialetto that it testified the problematic ones of the time: “Nanni nuostri ca durmiti Suonnu eternu ntra them DISA, momentu a uocchi apriti Smasciddatevi of laughed Risu is of cumpassioni To vidiri stu Cumuni, Cc'u is nova elections, ca goes sutta to ruzzuluni! Pp'a mania of cumannari and plan position indicator beacons of patruni, Fici today arrisurtari Is maniata of cirvidduni! And you Erculi divinu Scinni nterra to every costu You darannu u 'pacchittuni Pp'i n'u votu and tuttu are to postu. The Musa remains dumb Jamuninni difilatu: pirdunati Cci to me onistà will be n'atra elections ca, amuri and Tuttu passions quantu you put i'latu! In this allegro climate from macchietta movements then the first laborious steps the baby democracy agirina. In 1901 the population resident was of 17634 spirits but with less than 800 having voting right. Agira, first political election: voting was 522. In administrative the 707. Alle communal only 94. The women and the citizens illiterates did not have voting right. The lowland percentage of suffragi was not single due to the illiteracy but to that ignavia and that indifference of the population regarding the democracy. That situation made to explode the ire of old Licciardo lawyer, than in its heated philippics, it thus used to invest the concittadini: ”… the people of Saint Filippo are that people who only affect themselves to the arrival of a cowling of sardelle… “. Agira passes between the suffering of before and the second world war and is today between the polulated countries less of the province of Enna. The pomps of the last centuries are by now only a mere memory and hope that the inhabitants of the Agira then pray that scampolo of Arcadia or a remainder of the garden of the Esperidi can graze this country. Or it is better to hope that all it remains com'è? I close with a invocazione taken to loan: “MADE HAPPY THOSE WHICH DO NOT HAVE HISTORY” Agyrion, March 2003.
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