Adria (2): Sometimes called Adriatide. A hypothetical land that was said to have connected the Gargano promontory on Puglia to the coast of Dalmatia. Adria supposedly broke up and sank over the eons of geological time. The Tremiti Islands are believed by some to be a remnant of this ancient land.
Adria (or Hadria) (3):Ancient name for modern Atri (TE). Probably founded by the Etruscans in Picenum, it was later a Roman settlement. Adria was hometown of the family of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
Adria, Giovanni Giacomo: (b. Mazara, Sicily; d.1560). Physician. He was the personal physician to Emperor Charles V, who ennobled him. Charles appointed him as proto-medicus (chief physician) of Sicily.
Adrian: Also see Hadrian.
Adrian, St. (called “the African”): (b. North Africa; d.AD 709 or 710). Monk. He spent much of his life near Naples as the head of a Benedictine abbey at Nerida. His reputation brought him to the attention of Pope Vitalian, who wished to appoint him as Archbishop of Canterbury, in Saxon England. Adrian refused the offer and recommended Theodore, a Greek monk, for the honor. The Pope agreed, but only on the condition that Adrian would accompany Theodore as his advisor. In 668, Adrian and Theodore departed for England. Thereafter, Adrian dedicated much of his time to teaching, making certain that the monks under his care were knowledgeable in Latin and Greek. According to legend, his body remained in perfect condition for centuries after his death. He is often called St. Adrian of Canterbury.
Adrian (Hadrian) I: (b. Rome; d. 795).Pope (rAD Feb. 1/9, 772- Dec. 25/26, 795). The son of a Roman noble named Theodorus, he was orphaned at an early age and received a good education before entering the church. He succeeded Stephan III on the papal throne. Dante incorrectly states that it was Adrianus who crowned Charlemagne as Emperor. Threatened by the Lombard king Desiderius, Adrian successfully appealed to Charlemagne to invade northern Italy. This invasion ended the Lombard kingdom of Italy and secured the temporal power of the Papacy. He was succeeded by Leo III.
Adrian (Hadrian) II: (b. AD 792, Rome; d. Dec. 14, 872). Pope. (rDec 14, 867-Dec 14, 872). A native of Rome, he succeeded Nicholas I. and was succeeded by John VIII.
Adrian (Hadrian) III: (b. Rome; d. cSept. 885, Modena). Pope. (rMay 17, 884-cSept. 885). He succeeded Marinus I and was succeeded by Stephen V.
Adrian (Hadrian) IV (Nicholas Breakspeare): (b. c1100, Hertfordshire, England; d. Sept. 1, 1159, Anagni (FR)). Pope. (rDec 4, 1154-Sept. 1, 1159). The only pope of English ancestry, he succeeded Anastasius IV and was succeeded by Alexander III.
Adrian (Hadrian) V (Ottobuono de’ Fieschi): (b. c1205, Genoa; d. Aug. 18, 1276, Viterbo). Pope. (rJuly 11, 1276-Aug. 18, 1276). He succeeded Innocent V and was succeeded by John XXI.
Adrian (Hadrian) VI (Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens): (b. Mar. 2, 1459, Utrecht; d. Sept. 14, 1523, Rome.). Pope. (rJan 9, 1522-Sept 14, 1523). He succeeded Leo X and was succeeded by Clement VII.
Adriani, Achille: (b. 1905, Naples. d. 1982). Archaeologist. He became a professor at the University of Palermo in 1948 and later served as director of the Greco-Roman Museum at Alexandria, Egypt. His principal field of study was Greek art, especially that of Alexandria. One of principal projects was the search for the tomb of Alexander the Great. Despite many years of research on the subject, he never published his work. One of his students, Professor Nicola Bonacasa, later studied Adriani’s notes and lectures and postulated that the famed tomb was located in the Latin cemetery in Alexandria.
Adriatic Sea (Lat. Adriaticum Mare; It. Mare Adriatico):Known in Roman times as the Adria or Mare Adriaticum, it is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea that separates the Balkan Peninsula (to the E) and the Italian mainland (to the W and NW). Some Latin writers also called it mare superum (Upper Sea), while Pliny the Elder preferred the name Atriaticum. Landlocked on three sides, it is open only to the S where it connects with the Ionian Sea, through the Strait of Otranto. It measures about 804 km. (or, according to some sources, 783 km) in length and has an area of about 132,085 km². It varies in breadth from a maximum of 225 km, near its center, to only 93 km at the Strait of Otranto on its southern end. It has an average depth of 242 m. with a maximum depth of 1,399 (or 1,280) m. The Adriatic skirts S. Italy along the coasts of Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia. The most significant feature of the coastline is the Golfo di Manfredonia beside the province of Foggia. The Adriatic derives its name from that of Adria, an ancient Etruscan-Roman port city located in the modern Italian province of Rovigo, Veneto region. Adria’s name, in turn probably derives from the ancient Illyrian word adur (= water, sea). Changes in the sea level have now left the site of Adria over 20 km inland.