Calascibetta history

The origins of Calascibetta are ancient; they probably date back to prehistory, as the numerous findings in the area around the rock where the town stands seem to prove. The present town centre probably arose from an Arabian castle, on the ruins of which the Normans settled. The first consistent inhabited area on the top of the rock was more probably of Arabian origin, actually we can deduce its name from the Arabian Kalath Shibet, that at first was latinized in Calathaxibecta an than italianized in Calascibetta.

Later, it seems that the Normans, under the guide of Count Roger, settled on the ruins of an ancient Arabian fortress, where they founded the first embryo of the present Calascibetta.This part of the history is of course less unknown because it is more recent. It started in 1062, when Count Roger Altavilla took possession of the mountain Xibet with his army, to exploit its strategic position and launch the decisive attack against the Saracens who where castled in Enna. " When Roger saw that the siege and the conquest of Enna was a difficult operation, drew the quarters and led the army upon a hill, nearly two miles away from Enna, divided from the town by a valley, and this place is called Calascibetta " (Fazello " Storia di Sicilia ").

The Count’s victory came after the decisive battle on the slopes of the mount. Since that time the top of the rocky ridge became a permanent settlement protected by the walls of the Mark Castle where the religious buildings dedicated to St. Peter and Our Lady of the Assumption started rising. The historical vicissitudes of Calascibetta in the immediately following period where the same as the rest of Sicily, with first the Norman Conquest and then the Angevin. With the presence of the Aragones Calascibetta gave hospitality to Peter the second, son of Frederic the second, who lived in the town up to the day of his death in 1347. Before his death, Peter the second granted some concessions to the country which had adopted him and then some more where added to reward the people of Calascibetta for their faithfulness to the crown of Spain.But Calascibetta was above all a free town, jealous of its prerogatives of independence and intolerant of the feudal constrictions. This is proved by the many times when its inhabitants committed themselves to great privations in order to rescue their freedom.

In 1535, in fact, Calascibetta was given in pawn by Charles the fifth to Ludovic Vernagallo. Calascibetta won back its freedom and autonomy by paying the amount of the ransom in order to be free from slavery, and so the town could adorn itself with the title of " Victorious Town " which was, later on, added to the other title of " fidelissima ". These titles are still present in the inscription " Victoriosa et Fidelissima Urbs Calaxibectae ", which can be seen amid the talons of the eagle in the standard of the town.There are no particular news in the history of the town between this age (1550) and the modern one (1800). Between 1840 and 1860 the people of Calascibetta once again showed their proud wish of freedom by taking part to the popular insurrection and to Garibaldi’s expedition which led to the unity of Italy. Calascibetta also contributed to defend the value of freedom with its citizens’ blood during the two world wars (1915-1918 and 1940-1945).