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Sito ufficiale del Comune di Rometta (ME) |
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Rometta |
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History of Rometta: the medieval period |
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Original Parchment— the Archive of State in Messina |
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Under the Normans, Rometta and all its ancient district – from the river Gallo to the river Niceto – was included among the lands of the Crown. During this period the city was interested by an immigration of Christian people, of Greek-Latin origin, from Calabria; perhaps the same descendants of the Sicilians run away because of the Arabic conquest. According to the tradition, Ruggero d’Altavilla founded a church consecrated to St. George (his Saint patron) and a monastery for women who followed the Basiliana rule, called San Salvatore. Ruggero awarded several lands and buildings to the monastery, together with a precious relic: the arm of S. Giorgio, still preserved today in the Church-Mother of Rometta.
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After the popular revolt named “Vespri siciliani ”, Rometta sustained the candidature to the crown of Sicily of Pietro d’Aragona against Carlo d’Angiò. For this reason, Federico III l’Aragonese granted to the city of Rometta – with an act dated October, 13th 1323 – the same privileges enjoyed by the city of Messina. The acknowledgment – whose original Parchment is kept in the Archive of State in Messina – concerned some economic and legal facilitations. Furthermore, this act confirmed the permanence of the city in the so-called Demanio Regio, with all the privileges concerned with the status Land of the Crown. Rametta, as it was called instead of Rameth since about 1100, became the fortieth city of the Reign of Sicily. |
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City fortitude of Rometta in the Aragonese period (reconstruction) |
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In 965, on the ruins of the Byzantine Remata, the Arabs rebuilt a new city called Ramth, where they brought several Moslem families. In 1061 the City-castle of Ramth was involved in the civil war that broke down between the two Emirs of Sicily: ibn ath-Tumnah, that dominated the oriental part and Ibn al-Hawwas, Emir of the western part. The Kaid or governor of Rometta, besieged by the army of ath-Tumnah and its Norman allies – headed by the brothers d’Altavilla, Roberto and Ruggero – accepted to obey to al-Hawwas and opened the gates of the city to the new Lord. Later, the Normans broke off the pact with their ally and began the conquest of Sicily. Only in 1091, with the surrender of Noto, Ruggero d’Altavilla became the absolute master of the region, and received from Pope Urbano II the title of Great Earl of Sicily.
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