This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Monteroni di Lecce" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Monteroni di Lecce
Comune
Città di Monteroni di Lecce
Coat of arms of Monteroni di Lecce
Coat of arms
Location of Monteroni di Lecce
Map
Monteroni di Lecce is located in Italy
Monteroni di Lecce
Monteroni di Lecce
Location of Monteroni di Lecce in Italy
Monteroni di Lecce is located in Apulia
Monteroni di Lecce
Monteroni di Lecce
Monteroni di Lecce (Apulia)
Coordinates: 40°20′N 18°06′E / 40.333°N 18.100°E / 40.333; 18.100
CountryItaly
RegionApulia
ProvinceLecce
Government
 • MayorAngelina Storino
Area
[1]
 • Total16.5 km2 (6.4 sq mi)
Elevation
35 m (115 ft)
Population
 (2008)[2]
 • Total13,828
 • Density840/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
DemonymMonteronesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
73047
Dialing code0832
Patron saintSt. Anthony of Padua
Saint dayFirst Sunday in August
Websitecomune.monteroni.le.it
[3][4]

Monteroni di Lecce (Salentino: Muntrùni is a town and comune in the province of Lecce, in Apulia, southern Italy.[5] In 2008, it had 13,800 inhabitants.[3] It is 7 kilometres (4 mi) from Lecce,[4] in the Salento – the historic Terra d'Otranto.

History

Probably the name Monteroni comes from the Latin Mons Tyronum, meaning "mount of the spear-men" and hinting at its origin as a training camp for the Roman legions. In fact, originally the Romans apparently established a military stronghold on the hill nowadays called San Filii. From this era of romanisation of the region, coins and other archaeological material has been found and studied.

During the Norman period, the fiefdom of Monteroni was part of the County of Lecce. In 1250 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (and also sovereign of the Kingdom of Sicily) granted the fiefdom to the De Cremona family, followed in this feudal office by the Montoroni family who held it until the 16th century. The Montoroni built the first Baronial Palace in the town in the original shape of a small fortress.

When the fief passed onto the Duke of Spongano, the Baronial Palace was enlarged and gained the current Leccese Baroque style. Monteroni di Lecce owes the baroque period also its bell tower and the two chapels, which were in the central square (currently “Piazza I. Falconieri”) on the site currently occupied by the major church “Chiesa Matrice”.

Feudalism in the south of Italy was abolished with the events following the French Revolution when also the Kingdom of Naples became a republic and then a Napoleonic kingdom. Since then it was the “Municipality of Monteroni di Lecce” which took over and carried on the sorts of the fief of Monteroni.

Main sights

Sights in the town include the Chiesa Matrice,[citation needed], the Palazzo Baronale, the Villa Romano, the Villa Carelli-Palombi, the Villa Urselli and the Villa Saetta.[6]

Twin towns

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b Monteroni di Lecce (in Italian). Enciclopedie online. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed December 2018.
  4. ^ a b Carmelo Colamonico (1934). Monteroni di Lecce (in Italian). Enciclopedia Italiana. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed December 2018.
  5. ^ Dizionario di toponomastica. Storia e significato dei nomi geografici italiani (in Italian). GARZANTI. 1996. p. 421.
  6. ^ Monumenti e palazzi. Città di Monteroni di Lecce. Archived 18 August 2006.
Categories