THE CITY OF FRATTAMAGGIORE
«This side of the mountains, and not far from the sea
There are beautiful lands and castles,
But Fratta, where I was born, is singular,
Where he is called by the title of Maggior.»
(Carlo Mormile, first quatrain of the Sonnet to Frattamaggiore, ca. 1830)
A rich and industrious city, it was founded around 1,200 years ago.
It is located a few kilometers north of Naples.
Thanks to the production of hemp, Frattamaggiore had great economic fortune, in fact, at the beginning of the 20th century and until the advent of synthetic fibres, it was among the richest cities in Southern Italy,
In 1902 it was awarded the title of “CITY” by King Vittorio Emanuele III, in 1997 “BENEDICTINE CITY” and in 2008 “CITY OF ART”.
The word Frattamaggiore has a Latin etymology (Fracta Major).
“Fracta” means “Forest”, while “Maior” was added later because a small group of dispersed Atellans settled in that area, giving rise to a new tiny village that was called Frattula, currently Frattaminore. To distinguish itself from the latter, Fratta took the name of “Major”, thus becoming “Fracta Maior”.
.png)
_edited_edited.jpg)
.png)
Frattamaggiore boasts belonging to that territory that Pliny the Elder loved to call "Campania Felix", not only for its wealth, in fact, in ancient times it was the most fertile area of the Italian peninsula, but also for its beauty.
The territory is mostly flat.
Frattamaggiore, thanks to the abbey of San Sossio, was a "monastic land" in the Carolingian period.
In 850 AD the inhabitants of Fracta, mostly woodcutters, were joined by a colony of refugees from Miseno, who fled from their coastal city, which was destroyed by the Saracens.
Thus a new city was born, in fact the Misenate transformed the woods into fruitful land, cultivated hemp, planted the first rudimentary spinning wheels, but above all built a sumptuous temple in honor of San Sosio, their fellow citizen.
In 1493 Frattamaggiore became the seat of the Gran Corte della Vicaria, which was born from the merger of the Tribunal of the Vicariate with the Gran Corte. It was established by Charles II of Anjou and constituted the first appeals court of all the courts of the Kingdom of Naples for criminal and civil cases.
At the same time, its ropes and hawsers were exported throughout the Spanish Empire, likely accompanying Christopher Columbus's expedition. During the Bourbon period, the hemp craft transformed into a thriving textile industry, which, by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, had risen to the highest levels in Europe.
In 1901 the tram network and public electric lighting were inaugurated, and in 1904 the Church of San Sossio, which houses the bodies of San Sossio and San Severino, became a National Monument.
_edited.jpg)
Even today in the town there are buildings and monuments that bear the signs of the various historical periods: medieval, Aragonese-Spanish, Bourbon, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
In the last 50 years the city has changed its economy, modernized its services, extended its urban configuration and today appears, with good shares of activity in the various economic sectors, one of the most important centers of the Neapolitan hinterland.
In 2008 Frattamaggiore was named city of art for seven monuments:
-
the historic centre,
-
the Church of Sant'Antonio,
-
the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception,
-
the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie,
-
the Church of San Rocco,
-
the Basilica of San Sossio,
-
the Civic Tower.
Important is the Sansossiano Museum of Sacred Art which is located in the Basilica of San Sossio
In Frattamaggiore there is a municipal library with a collection of 13,476 monographs, 47 current periodicals and 120 out of print, 4 manuscripts and 3 editions from the 17th century, 117 from the 18th century and 1006 from the 19th century.
Frattamaggiore has always lived on artistic and literary culture.
For years, it has prided itself on establishing cultural clubs, where young people have found constructive opportunities for growth through discussion, poetry, reading, music, and singing.
Frattamaggiore, in fact, has given birth to numerous illustrious personalities: artists, athletes, professionals and writers who have distinguished themselves in the world.
Even today, this city continues to thrive in a climate dominated by an awareness of the artistic and cultural value that has characterized it throughout its history.
This value is embraced, interpreted, and shared by the many productive associations that work in the area with great passion and professionalism, as well as by schools that always begin their educational offerings with a deep understanding and love of their homeland, aware that without understanding one's roots, there can be no clear future.
