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Italy
Frederick II
Roger I
Ostrogoths
Carthaginian
Stupor Mundi
William II of Sicily
Roger II
Constance of Sicily
Emperor Henry VI
Federico II di Svevia
Peter II of Sicily
Arab Norman
William I of Sicily
King of Sicily
Phoenician
Roger
Arab
Roman
Sicily
Greek
Byzantine
Sizilien
Norman
Friedrich II
Barbarossa
Agrigento
Vandals
Hohenstaufen
Santa Maria dei Greci


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Agrigento - Santa Maria dei Greci

Agrigento - Santa Maria dei Greci
Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession.

Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.

A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred

In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful,

The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings.

In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.

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Santa Maria dei Greci is a cathedral of the Greek-Byzantine rite. It was built in 1200 on the ruins of an ancient Doric temple. Some scholars have identified the temple of Athena Lindia and Zeus Atabyrios, of which Greek historians wrote. Obviously the temple got later converted in an early Christian place. After the church was erected the "foundation" got forgotten, but it got rediscovered by priest Giuseppe Maria Pancrazi in the 18th century.

The portico on the left opens to the excavations.

Thomas Heizmann, Aschi "Freestone" have particularly liked this photo


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