Priverno

Priverno
Comune
Comune di Priverno
View of the Fossanova Abbey mapx=41.44
Location of Priverno
Priverno Location of Priverno in Italy Priverno Priverno (Lazio)
Coordinates: 41°28′N 13°11′E
Country	Italy
Region	Lazio
Province	Latina (LT)
Frazioni	Boschetto, Casale, Case Alloggio Ferrovieri, Ceriara, Colle Rotondo, Colle San Pietro, Colle Sughereto, Fascia, Fornillo, Fossanova, Gricilli, Le Crete, Maccalè, Mezzagosto, Montalcide, Osteria dei Pignatari, Perazzette, Pruneto, San Martino, Stazione Fossanova, Stradone Grotte
Government
• Mayor	Anna Maria Bilancia
Area
• Total	56.98 km2 (22.00 sq mi)
Elevation	151 m (495 ft)
Population  (28 February 2017)
• Total	14,437
• Density	250/km2 (660/sq mi)
Demonym	Privernati or Pipernesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	04015
Dialing code	0773
Patron saint	St. Thomas Aquinas
Saint day	March 7
Website	Official website

Priverno is a town, comune and former Latin Catholic bishopric in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy. It was called Piperno until 1927.

It has a station of the Rome-Naples railway mainline. Nearby is the Monti Lepini chain. It was the birthplace of the canonist Reginald of Piperno.

History

Robinia pseudoacacia in Priverno summer city

Privernum is described by Livy as a flourishing Volscian site, which was conquered and destroyed by the Romans in the late 4th century BC. The Appian Way passed nearby. The town recovered under the Roman rule, but disappeared after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, probably destroyed by Saracen attacks.

It was later a minor center of the Papal States, to which it belonged until the capture of Rome in 1870.

Ecclesiastical History

In 760 was established the Diocese of Priverno alias Piperno.

From 1217.01.17 it was held in personal union (aeque principaliter) with the Terracina until 1986.09.30, when it was suppressed and both (as well as Sezze) had their title and territory merged into the Diocese of Latina–Terracina–Sezze–Priverno.

At least since 1180 (earlier incumbents not available), all bishops concurrently held the sees of Sezze and Roman Catholic Diocese of Terracina, since 1217 due to the personal union with Terracina.

Its Marian former cathedral remains a Co-Cathedral: Concattedrale di S. Maria (Assunta), in Priverno.

Main sights

Nearby is the famous Abbey of Fossanova, which is where the town's patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinas died on 7 March 1274.

Notable churches :

• Santa Maria Assunta (former Cathedral), consecrated by Pope Lucius II in 1183. It houses a panel of the Madonna d'Agosto and St. Thomas's skull.
• San Benedetto, built by the Benedictines from the 7th century AD; it includes 13th and 16th centuries frescoes
• San Giovanni Evangelista (c. 9th century, rebuilt in the 13th century). It has 13th-15th century frescoes, including stories of St. Catherine (14th century), a Madonna with Child (15th century)
• San Tommaso d'Aquino (13th century)
• San Nicola' (13th century)

Lay buildings include the Villa Gallio, a residence of Cardinal Bartolomeo Gallio, the Communal Palace (13th century), with the Dolphin Fountain by Giuseppe Olivieri and the Porta San Marco and Porta Posterola, the only remains of the seven gates once giving access to Priverno. Remains of the old Privernum are outside the town, including parts of the walls, baths, three patrician houses and a temple. Here a colossal statue of Tiberius (now in the Vatican Museum) was found in the late 18th century.

Sources and external links

• GCatholic with incumbent bio links
• Official website