Bénévent

Bénévent (in Italian, Benevento ) is a Italian city of approximately: 63000 inhabitants, chief town of the province of the same name to 50 km in the North-East of Naples in Campania, in the southernmost Italy. The city is the seat of a catholic archbishop's palace.

Geography

Located on a hill at 135 meters above the sea level at the confluence of the Calore and the Sabato.

Climate

There exists a clear difference between the maritime, soft and pleasant climate, of the areas of Naples and Caserta and the area of Bénévent, where the climate is more continental, with lower temperatures, more frequent precipitations and night fogs and frosts during the winter. This is explained by the wet dominant currents come from the Tyrrhenian Sea which meet here the first ramparts of the the Apennines, the mounts Taburno and Partenio, behind which the temperature drops; in contact with a less hot and wetter atmosphere the air saturates and starts precipitations. The climate of Bénévent is of appennin type, with an average annual temperature of 15,8° C. the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 7,1° C., and of the hottest month (August) of 24,7° C. precipitations exceed 700 mm per annum and concentrate over the autumn and the winter. The snowfalls are frequent in winter. The record of heat was recorded on July 18th, 1884 with 42° C, while the record of cold dated January 21st, 1891 with -11° C. moisture seldom reaches saturation. It is normally of 72% in wintry time and 57% in summer.

History

Bénévent occupies the site of the Beneventum (“Good event”) ancient, named in the beginning Maleventum , which means the site of the “Bad event”, even if actually the original word, in an old spoken language in this city, were “Maloentum”, which perhaps meant “Town of mountain”. During the imperial time one said it founded by Diomède following the Trojan War. Bénévent was the capital of the Samnites, and those found refuge there after their defeat against Rome in -314. After their victory over Pyrrhus d' Épire, the Romans settled there in -268 and re-elected it soon Beneventum for predicts (Ben-eventum). Thanks to its strategic site, they made this city an quasi-impregnable natural fortress. With the the Middle Ages, the fortified town is however taken by the Ostrogoths of the king Totila which shave it in 542 and towards 571, it is taken by a detachment of Lombards come from the North of Italy and directed by the duke Zotton, first duke lombard of Bénévent; this powerful duchy is made autonomous very quickly compared to the king of Lombards, sitting at Milan then with Pavia and was only episodically subjected to the royal capacity. In 662, the duke Grimoald, becomes king of Lombards and attaches Bénévent to the kingdom lombard. Does Bénévent fall later to the hands from the Normands directed by the count Drogon d' Apulie (1047), before being sold (?) with the Papacy in 1053: it consequently becomes papal possession until in 1806, when Napoleon grants it to Talleyrand with the title of the prince de Bénévent . Returned to the pope in 1814, it is joined together with the kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Meanwhile, Manfred de Hohenstaufen had lost the life in there 1266 in famous the battles caused by Charles of Anjou at the request of the pope.

Economy

August 1st

Culture

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Monuments and inheritance

Bénévent is an interesting city in spite of the damage generated by frequent earthquakes. The importance of Bénévent during the traditional time is confirmed by the many ancient vestiges that it has, of which most famous are:

the triumphal arch set up in the honor of the emperor Trajan by the senate and the inhabitants of Rome in the year 114 after J.C. It was the entry of the city by Via Traiana connecting Rome to Brindisi.
the Holy-Sophie church, circular building of inspiration Byzantine dating from the period lombarde and devoted under the reign of the duke Arigis II of Bénévent towards 760, now modernized, and whose roof is supported by six ancient columns;
Its cloister also, dated from the end of the 12th century and built using fragments of the preceding ancient buildings;
the cathedral of the 13th century, which has bronze doors, decorated low-reliefs. The interior, supported by ancient columns, contains ambons and a candelabrum of the year 1311;
the castle of the 14th century, which occupies the highest point of the city. It consists of two parts: the keep, built by Lombards at the 9th century, and the Palate of the Governors, built by the vice-chancellors of the Pope starting from the 1320;
Roman Theater of third century BC;

Administration

Hamlets

C.da Epitaffio, C.da Olivola, Cappelle Piano

Communes bordering

Apollosa, Castelpoto, Foglianise, Fragneto Monforte, Paduli, Pesco Sannita, Pietrelcina, San Leucio del Sannio, San Nicola Manfredi, Sant' Angelo has Cupolo, Torrecuso

Personalities born in Bénévent

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See too

List of the dukes then princes lombards of Bénévent.
List of the Italian cities of more than 25.000 inhabitants

External bonds

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