Comune di Agira
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Enna (EN)
Altitude	650 m
Area	163.11 km²
Population  - City  - Density	8,171 (as of December 31, 2004) 51/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	37°39′N 14°31′E
Frazioni
Telephone Prefix	0935
Postal Code	94011
Gentilic	Agirini
Patron:  - Saint   -Day	St. Philip of Agira July 2
Mayor	Rosario Sanfilippo (since May 25, 2003)
Website	www.comune.agira.en.it

Agìra is a town in the province of Enna, Sicily (southern Italy). It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, 27  from Enna. Until 1861 it was called San Filippo d'Argiriò, in honour of its saint, Filippo il Siriaco, or Philip of Agira. Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... The Regions of Italy were granted a degree of regional autonomy in the 1948 constitution, which states that the constitutions role is: to recognize, protect and promote local autonomy, to ensure that services at the State level are as decentralized as possible, and to adapt the principles and laws... Sicilian redirects here. ... In Italy, the province (in Italian: provincia) is an administrative division of an intermediate level, between municipality (comune) and region (Regione). ... Enna (It. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of UTC+1 time zone, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... It has been suggested that leap second be merged into this article or section. ... A frazione, in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other subdivisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere: these are the lowest subdivisions of the country. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Enna (It. ... Sicilian redirects here. ... Enna, the ancient Henna, is located in the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. ...

History

Agira stands on the site of the ancient Sicel city^[1] of Agyrion, which was ruled by tyrants, one of whom, Agyris, was the most powerful ruler in the centre of Sicily. He was a contemporary of Dionysius the Elder, and with him successfully resisted the Carthaginians when they invaded the territory of Agyrion in 392 BC. Agira was not colonised by the Greeks until the Corinthian general Timoleon drove out the last tyrant in 339 BC, settled 10,000 Greeks, according to Diodorus Siculus, and erected various splendid buildings of which no traces remain, as the modern city overlies the ancient one. According to Thucydides (vi:2), before the arrival of Greek colonists, the Sicels (or Siculi) were one of the three tribes who inhabited Sicily: the Sicels (Greek Sikeloi) in eastern Sicily (as well as southern Italy), who spoke an Indo-European language, and the Sicani (Greek Sikanoi) and Elymi (Greek... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Headline text 1649874 Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder (c. ... Carthaginian settlements in the western Mediterranean. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Κόρινθος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... Timoleon (c. ... Diodorus Siculus (c. ...

Agyrion was the birthplace of the historian Diodorus Siculus, who credits Heracles with the foundation of sacred precincts of Iolaos and of Geryon, and the creation of a nearby lake. Hercules, a Roman bronze (Louvre Museum) In Greek mythology, Heracles, or Herakles (glory of Hera, Ἥρα + κλέος, ) was a divine hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, stepson of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus. ... Temenos (from the Greek verb meaning to cut) is the Greek term in archaeology given to a piece of land which forms the enclosure of a temple, or sanctuary. ... In Greek mythology, Iolaus (Greek: ΄Ιόλαος) was a son of Iphicles and thus a nephew of Heracles. ... In Greek mythology, Geryon (Geryones,Geyron), son of Chrysaor and Callirhoe, was a winged titan and the king of Erytheia island, now Spain province of Cadiz, in the far west of the Mediterranean. ...

The Romans called it Agirium. Under their control it underwent a decline, as a result of the heavy taxation imposed on it. In 1063, it was taken by the Normans under Count Roger I of Sicily (Ruggero in Italian), who defeated the Saracens near the river Salso. The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous people of France and the Viking invaders under the leadership of Hrolf Ganger, who adopted the French name Rollo and swore allegiance to the king of France (Charles the Simple). ... Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), Norman ruler of Sicily, was the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville. ... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ...

Agira passed through the hands of the the Hohenstaufen, the Angevines and Aragonese, and in about 1400 it became state property of Sicily. Over the years the town has been influenced by Spanish and Jewish arrivals, both leaving their architectural mark, the latter a synagogue. Arms of the Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen were a dynasty of Kings of Germany, many of whom were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor and Dukes of Swabia. ... Counts of Anjou, c. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 269 027  2,9%  26,59/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Jews (Hebrew: יהודים, Yehudim) are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and converts who joined their religion. ... Lesko synagogue, Poland A synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת ; beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: שול, shul) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ...

main sights

The main buildings of note are its numerous churches, most of which contain collections of art works. They include the Norman Chiesa Madre ("Mother Church") dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore, the Norman church of Santa Margherita, which is the largest in the diocese, with thirteen altars, and which dates from the early 13th century (though it has been much changed since then), the church of St Filippo, which has three naves, and contains paintings by Olivo Sozzi, the 16th century church of Sant'Antonio da Padova, which also has three naves, the 16th-century church of Sant'Antonio Abate, containing fourteen small paintings of the Venetian school, and the church of San Salvatore, with Gothic bell-tower. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... See also Gothic art. ...

There is also an Arab–Byzantine castle, later rebuilt by the Hohenstaufen, of which two towers still stand.

The modern town

The municipality of Agira has 9,004 inhabitants, with a population density of 55 inhabitants per square kilometre. It covers 163.11 km², and is 650 metres above sea-level. Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... The metre, or meter, is a measure of length, approximately equal to 3. ...

Agira is 141 kilometres from Agrigento, 69 kilometres from Caltanissetta, 66 kilometres from Catania, 34 kilometres from Enna (to whose province it belongs), 162 kilometres from Messina, 184 kilometres from Palermo, 144 kilometres from Ragusa, 124 kilometres from Siracusa, and 291 kilometres from Trapani. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Agrigento (formerly Girgenti) is the name of a town on the southern coast of Italy, capital of the province of Agrigento. ... Caltanissetta is located on the western interior of Sicily, an area of rolling hills with small villages and towns. ... Enna, the ancient Henna, is located in the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... Nickname: Palermu Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Ragusa can refer to: The city of Ragusa in Sicily, Italy. ... Map of central Mediterranean Sea, showing location of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. ... Torre della Colombaia Trapani (2004 population 67,456) is a city in the west coast of Sicily in Italy. ...

The town is a centre of agriculture — mainly cereals, almonds, olives, and grapes. The large areas of pasture also make possible the breeding of cattle, sheep, and horses. This article is about grains in general. ... Binomial name Prunus dulcis (Mill. ... Binomial name Olea europaea L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Syria and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Pastureland Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulates as part of a farm or ranch. ... Cow and Cows redirect here. ... Species See text. ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ...

The Pozzillo artificial lake lies near the town in a eucalyptus wood, and provides an important habitat for a large variety of birds, and a way-stage for migrators. Another reserve – the Riserva di Piano della Corte – has been created in the Erei Mountains, and the Mediterranean forest of the Vallone di Piano della Corte is scheduled to become another reserve. The area also contains sulphur springs. Species About 700; see the List of Eucalyptus species Wikispecies has information related to: Eucalyptus Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of trees (rarely shrubs), the members of which dominate the tree flora of Australia. ...

There is a railway station south of the town.

Notes

1. ^ The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites asserts only that Agira is "a city of ancient but uncertain origins".

External links

• Agira — from La Sicilia in dettaglio — Sicily in full detail
• Gallery of photographs of Agira
• Richard Stillwell, ed. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, 1976: "Agyrion (Agira), Sicily"

Sicilia · Communes of the province of Enna

Agira | Aidone | Assoro | Barrafranca | Calascibetta | Catenanuova | Centuripe | Cerami | Enna | Gagliano Castelferrato | Leonforte | Nicosia | Nissoria | Piazza Armerina | Pietraperzia | Regalbuto | Sperlinga | Troina | Valguarnera Caropepe | Villarosa