Abbate (or Abbati): A noble family of Sicily. Its founder appears to have been a Roman knight named Papiro. Wishing to withdraw to the monastery of Monte Cassino, he turned all of his worldly possession over to his son Ascanio. When Ascanio died soon afterwards without having produced an heir, Papiro was forced to give up his monk’s habit and return to the outside world. Marrying again, he began a new family which took the surname Abbate in remembrance of his time as a monk.
Abbate, Andrea: See Abate, Andrea.
Abbateggio (PE):A commune (Area: 15.71 km². Alt. 450 m) of Abruzzo, in the province of Pescara, located 40 km from Pescara. Pop. 419 (2007e).
History: The town dates back to at least the 10th century.
Abbatelli: A noble family of Sicily. The earliest known member was Dulcio Abbatelli from Lucca in northern Italy who settled at Palermo in 1237 during the reign of Emperor Frederick II (r1198-1250). In 1431, Giovanni Abbatelli (also known as Patella) purchased the county of Cammarata from one Moncada for the price of 40 thousand gold fiorini. He also acquired the fiefs of Pietra and Cefalu, as well as half of the excise tax on fruit from Palermo. He rose to a high social status, marrying into the Chiaromonte family. In 1451, Dulcio’s son Ferderico was officially invested with the title of Count of Cammarata. Through is mother’s line he also became the Count of Modica. A few generations later, in 1535, Cammarata came into the hands of Margherita Abbatelli and her husband, Blasco (Biagio) Branciforte, nephew of the Captain-general Count Federico Branciforte. The principal branch of the family soon became extinct but another line survived at Catania.
Abbati: See Abbate.
Abbati, Giuseppe: (b. 1836, Naples. d. 1868, Florence). Painter. The son of Vincenzo Abbati, another Neapolitan painter, he received his earliest education from his father. Later, graduating from the Academy at Venice, he specialized in genre (i.e. pictures of everyday life), architecture, and landscapes. During the Risorgimento, he fought under Garibaldi and lost an eye in combat. In 1866, he volunteered to fight in the Italian army against the Austrians in the Tyrol. He survived the war only to succumb to an infected dog bite in 1868. Principal Works: A Dominican singing in the choir of Santa Maria Novella, Florence (1863); Peasant Family taking a siesta. The Prayer; The Dominican; A Street in Sunlight.
Abbot: The Ordinary of an abbey. For those abbeys having additional territory attached to the, the abbot serves as the Ordinary for the whole area.
Abd: an Arabic term meaning “slave of”, “servant of”, or “worshipper of”. Several Arabic personal names are created by the combination of Abd- with “Allah” or other names or attributes of the deity (e.g. Abdullah, Abdul).
Abdalla-ibn-Cais-el-Fezary: (fl. 2nd half of the 7th Century AD). Saracen raider. A general of the Caliph Moawia, he led the first Saracen raid on Sicily in AD 667.
‘Abdallah ibn ‘Abbas ibn al-Fadl: Aghlabid governor of Sicily (rAD 862).
Abdila: Byzantine Strategies of Bari (rAD 969-975).
Abdilla: a surname of Saracen origin. It is first attested in historical documents in 1178 among the Muslim serfs living in Norman Sicily.
Abela: A surname found in Sicily, of Aragonese origins.
Abela, Gaetano: (b. 1796, Siracusa. d. 1826, Palermo). Patriot. Joining the Carbonara movement, he participated in an unsuccessful insurrection at Siracusa in 1826. Arrested the following year, he spent the remainder of his short life in prison.
Abelard of Hauteville: (b. c1044; d. 1081). (see full page)
Abella (or Avella): An ancient Greek town in Campania. Situated near Nola, it was founded by the Chalcidian Greeks. It was best known for the quality of its apples and hazel-nuts. The modern Avella (AV).
Abellinum (sometimes Abellinum Protropum): Ancient name for Avellino [AV]. The original Abellinum lay near the present city of Avellino in the upper valley of the river Sabatus (mod. Sabbato). Founded by the Hirpini, a Samnite tribe, it lay on the road connecting Beneventum and Salernum. Abellinum appears in history only in the Roman era. By then it had become a prosperous town and had probably achieved the status of a colonia under the Second Triumvirate (mid- 1st century BC).The city survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, finally succumbing in the early Middle Ages during the wars between the Byzantines and Lombards. The survivors abandoned the original site and refounded their city on the present site of Avellino. The site of ancient Abellinum includes the remains of the city walls and the ruins of an amphitheatre. A great number of inscriptions, bas-reliefs, statuary, etc have been unearthed.