Editing Alatri

{{about|the town in Italy|the surname|Alatri (surname)}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Alatri
| official_name       = Comune di Alatri
| image_skyline       = San Paolo Alatri 3.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| image_alt           = 
| image_caption       = Basilica of San Paolo.
| image_shield        = alatri-Stemma.png
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| coordinates         = {{coord|41|43|30|N|13|20|30|E|display=inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = [[Lazio]]
| province            = [[Province of Frosinone|Frosinone]] (FR)
| frazioni            = See [[#Frazioni|list]]
| mayor_party         = [[Democratic Party (Italy)|PD]]
| mayor               = Maurizio Cianfrocca
| area_footnotes      = 
| area_total_km2      = 97
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total    = 28807
| population_as_of    = 30 April 2017
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonyms  = Alatresi, Alatrensi or Alatrini
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 502
| twin1               = 
| twin1_country       = 
| saint               = [[Pope Sixtus I|St. Sixtus]]
| day                 = First Wednesday after [[Easter]]
| postal_code         = 03011
| area_code           = 0775
| website             = {{official website|http://www.comune.alatri.fr.it}}
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''Alatri''' ({{langx|la|Aletrium}}) is an Italian town and ''[[comune]]'' of the [[province of Frosinone]] in the region of [[Lazio]], with c. 30,000&nbsp;inhabitants. An ancient city of the [[Hernici]],<ref name="Chisholm, Hugh 1911">Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hernici". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.).</ref> it is known for its [[megalith]]ic [[acropolis]].<ref>Bullettino dell'Imperiale istituto archeologico germanico, Sezione romana, Vol. IV, Rom, 1889.</ref>

==History==
The area of the modern city was settled as early as the 2nd millennium BC.

''Aletrium'' was a town of the [[Hernici]]<ref name="Chisholm, Hugh 1911"/> which, together with [[Veroli]], [[Anagni]] and [[Ferentino]], formed a defensive league against the [[Volsci]] and the [[Samnites]] around 550 BC. In 530 they allied with [[Tarquinius Superbus]]' Rome, confirming the Etruscan influence in the area attested also by archaeology.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} Alatri was defeated by Rome in 306 BC and forced to accept the citizenship. In [[Cicero]]'s time it was a ''[[municipium]],''<ref>Pais, Ettore, ''Storia della colonizzazione di Roma antica'', Roma, 1923</ref> and continued in this position throughout the imperial period.{{sfn|Ashby|1911}}

After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]], the city decayed, the only respected authority being represented by the Christian bishop. During the reign of [[Theodoric the Great]] (5th century AD) the patrician [[Liberius (praetorian prefect)|Liberius]] promoted the construction of a monastic community, one of the most ancient in the West, where in 528 [[St. Benedict]] sojourned briefly. In 543, during the [[Gothic Wars (6th century)|Gothic Wars]], Alatri was sacked and destroyed by [[Totila]]'s troops.

[[File:Porta Maggiore Alatri.jpg|thumb|left|The Porta Maggiore.]]
[[File:Villa Giulia ricostruzione del tempio etrusco 01.JPG|thumb|left|Reconstruction of Etruscan-style temple of Alatri in [[National Etruscan Museum]], [[Rome]].]]
In the 12th century the city became an important stronghold of the popes when they were obliged to leave the then unsafe Rome. In the following century it became a free commune, although under the authority of the bishops and the pope, governed by [[consul]]s until 1241, when a ''[[podestà]]'' was introduced. In the following centuries it flourished economically and expanded, conquering [[Collepardo]], [[Guarcino]], [[Trivigliano]], [[Vico nel Lazio|Vico]] and [[Frosinone]], though often hampered by inner strife. In the 15th century Alatri started to lose its freedom, due to the involvement of [[Ladislaus of Naples]] and [[Pope Martin V]]. After the short seigniory of [[Filippo Maria Visconti]] in 1434, the city had to accept papal [[suzerainty]].

Struggles with the neighbouring communes continued, and in 1556 it was occupied by Spanish soldiers. During the [[Roman Republic (1798)|Roman Republic]], it remained loyal to the pope. During the Napoleonic occupation (1809–1814) numerous members of the papal administration, as well as bishop Giuseppe della Casa, were deported to France. It became part of [[unification of Italy|Italy]] in 1870.

During [[World War II]] it suffered heavy destruction and human victims.

==Main sights==

===Ancient remains===
Alatri has well-preserved [[Polygonal masonry|polygonal]] fortifications constructed from well jointed local [[limestone]]. It is almost entirely an embanking wall, as is the rule in the cities of this part of Italy, with a maximum height, probably, of about {{convert|9|m|ft|0}}. Two of the gates (of the perhaps five once existing) are still to some extent preserved, and three [[postern]]s are to be found.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Aletrium|volume=1|page=543|first=Thomas|last=Ashby|authorlink=Thomas Ashby (archaeologist)}}</ref>

In the centre of the city rises a hill which was adopted as the citadel. Remains of the fortifications of three successive periods can be traced, of which the last, perhaps a little more recent than that of the city wall, is the best preserved. In the first two periods the construction is rough, while in the third the blocks are very well jointed, and the faces smoothed; they are mostly polygonal in form and are much larger (the maximum about 3 by 2 m) than those of the city wall. A flat surface was formed partly by smoothing off the rock and partly by the erection of huge terrace walls which rise to a height of over {{convert|15|m|ft|0}}, enclosing a roughly rectangular area of {{convert|220|by|100|m|ft}}. Two approaches to the citadel were constructed, both passing through the wall; the openings of both are rectangular. The [[architrave]] of the larger, known as ''Porta Maggiore'', measures about {{convert|5|m|ft}} in length, {{convert|1.5|m|ft}} in height, {{convert|1.8|m|ft}} in thickness; while that of the smaller is decorated with three ''[[phallus|phalli]]'' in relief. Later, though probably in ancient times, a ramp was added on the northern side. In the centre of the ''arx'' was a building on the site of the present cathedral, of which only a small portion is preserved. Remains of a high-pressure [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueduct]], which supplied the town with water and was constructed with other public buildings by [[L. Betilienus Varus]], may still be traced. A temple was excavated in 1889 about a half-mile north of the town, and many fragments of the painted [[terracottas]] with which it was decorated were found. A reconstruction of it has been erected in the [[National Etruscan Museum]] at Rome.<ref name="EB1911"/>
[[File:Santa Maria Maggiore Alatri.jpg|thumb|250px|Church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore'' and ''Fontana Pia''.]]
[[File:Chiesa di San Silvestro.jpg|thumb|250px|The ancient church of St. Sylvester.]]
[[File:Palazzo Gottifredo alatri.jpg|thumb|250px|''Palazzo Gottifredo''.]]

===Other===
*[[Alatri Cathedral|Cathedral of San Paolo]]: main church, documented since 930, has  [[Cosmatesque]] decorations dated to 1222, although the external facade is from a late–18th-century restoration. The layout is that of a Greek cross plan, with a long [[transept]]. One of the relics in the church, is the late 13th-century ''Ostia Incarnata''; according to tradition it was a [[Eucharist|eucharistic wafer]] that miraculously [[Transubstantiation|transubstantiated]] into flesh.
*''[[Collegiata of Santa Maria Maggiore]]'': [[collegiate church]] likely first erected in the 5th century atop the site of a temple of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]]. First mentioned in 1137, it was restored in [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] times and largely rebuilt in the 13th century by craftsmen from [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]]. The façade has a large 14th-century [[rose window]]. The three gates have frescoed [[lunette]]s with, in the central one, a ''Madonna with Child'' from the late 14th century. The bell tower was added in 1394; until an earthquake in 1654, it had a cusp cover. The sober interior has a nave and two aisles divided by robust pilasters, with an inner [[narthex]]. The left chapels are from modern restorations. Among the artwork housed in the church, a ''Constantinopolis Madonna'' (13th century), the ''Redeemer Tryptych'' by Antonio di Alatri, and a ''Madonna with Child and St. Salvatore'' (early 15th century).
*''[[San Francesco, Alatri|San Francesco]]'': [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-style church built by the [[Franciscan]]s in the late 13th century. It is a compact edifice  with original gate and rose window similar to that of Santa Maria Maggiore. The interior has a single nave and Baroque decoration. It houses a ''Deposition'' painted by Neapolitan school (17th century), and partly ruined 15th-century frescoes. The most striking feature is however the relic of part of [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis]]' mantle, donated in 1222 to the city by the saint himself.
*''Santo Stefano'': Church from ({{circa|1000}}). Of the original edifice, only the main portal remains.
*''[[San Silvestro, Alatri|San Silvestro]]'': Church from (10th-11th centuries). It has two naves, the second added in 1331. The simple and evocative interior houses a precious fresco depicting ''St Sylvester and the Dragon'' (12th century). The crypt (9th century) has a fresco of a ''Blessing Saint'' in Byzantine style.
*''[[Scolopi, Alatri|Chiesa degli Scolopi]]'' (1734–1745)
*[[Gottifredo Palace]] (mid-13th century), the residence of the powerful feudatory cardinal [[Gottifredo di Raynaldo]] from Alatri. It is formed by two towerhouses in different styles. It houses the Town Museum.
*Public Records Office: located in the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, the registry houses all public records including Births, Deaths and Marriages for the city going back to the 18th century.

In the neighborhood are:
*The Castle of Osteria di Alatri, also known as ''La Grancia di Tecchiena''.
*The   ''Badia di San Sebastiano'', built in the 6th century by [[Liberius (praetorian prefect)|Liberius]].
*''Chiesa delle XII Marie'' ("Church of the 12 Marys"), a small church from the early 15th century, with interesting frescoes of Saint by Antonio da Alatri

==Subdivisions==

===Rioni===
Alatri is divided into the following ''rioni'' (quarters):
*Civette
*Colle
*Fiorenza
*Piagge
*Portadini
*San Simeone
*Santa Lucia
*Sant'Anna
*Sant'Andrea
*Scurano
*Spidini
*Valle
*Vineri
-

===''Frazioni''===
Chiappitto, Pacciano, Porpuro, Valle Santa Maria, Carvarola, Capranica, Fontana Vecchia, Maddalena, Piedimonte, [[Madonna delle Grazie (frazione)|Madonna delle Grazie]], Melegranate, Montecapraro, Vignola, Valle Carchera, Montesantangelo, Montelarena, Pezza, Allegra, Basciano, Pignano, Castello, Collefreddo, Madonna del Pianto, Montelungo, Montereo, Monte San Marino, Pezzelle, Preturo, Sant'Antimo, San Valentino, Vallecupa, Vallefredda, Valle Pantano, Vallesacco, Valle S.Matteo, Villa Magna, Cassiano, Castagneto, Fraschette, Seritico, Santa Caterina, Vicero, Aiello, Canarolo, Collelavena, Costa San Vincenzo, Maranillo, Cavariccio, Colletraiano, Imbratto, Piano, S. Colomba, Scopigliette, Cucuruzzavolo, le Grotte, Magione, Mole Santa Maria, San Pancrazio, Vallemiccina, Sant'Emidio, Canale, Prati Giuliani, Quarticciolo, Quarti di Tecchiena, Tecchiena, Campello, Mole Bisleti, Cuione, Fontana Santo Stefano, Fontana Sistiliana, Frittola, S. Manno, Arillette, Collecuttrino, Colle del Papa, Laguccio, Montelena, Quercia d'Orlando, San Mattia, Carano, Fontana Scurano, Magliano, Cellerano, Fiume, Fiura, Fontana Santa, Riano, Abbadia, Case Paolone, Fontana Sambuco, Gaudo, Intignano, Colleprata.

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy}}

Alatri is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with<!--Alife and Pietrelcina are just religious twinnings, don't list them here-->:
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Clisson]], [[France]], since 2000
*{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Dirfys]], [[Greece]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Gétigné]], France, since 2003
*{{flagicon|FRA}}  [[Gorges, Loire-Atlantique|Gorges]], France, since 2003
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Saint-Lumine-de-Clisson]], France, since 2000

==References==
{{reflist}}
*[http://icarus.umkc.edu/sandbox/perseus/pecs/page.166.a.php Richard Stillwell, ed. ''Princeton Encyclopædia of Classical Sites'', 1976:] "Aletrium (Alatri), Italy"

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030611061027/http://www.comune.alatri.fr.it/ Official website]
* {{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/432664 |title=Places: 432664 (Aletrium) |author =Purcell, N. |author2=R. Talbert |author3=T. Elliott |author4=S. Gillies |access-date=March 8, 2012<!-- 8:36 am -->|publisher=Pleiades}}

{{Province of Frosinone}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Lazio]]