SANTA SEVERINA IN HISTORY AND IN ART

Santa Severina, at the core of the great historical events of the Mediterranean and of Europe, a
city of art, a precious patrimony which belongs to Calabria and to universal culture; at the western
border of the Eastern Empire with its powerful natural fortress and with its religious and cultural
greatness, between the end of the natural first millenium and the beginning of the second, it stood
in defence of the Byzantine civilization. Some scholars claim that the Byzantines, at the end of the
IX (ninth) century having freed the town from Arab domination, changed the old name of Siberene
to present name of Santa Severina in honour of the saint by the same name venerated in Sicily,
whose cult was probably imported through the immigrations of people of Greek origin which took
place during that period from Sicily to Calabria.
The Byzantine era
The origins of Santa Severina are quite remote, definitely more ancient than the first Byzantine
settlement. Conquered initially by the Arabs around the year 840, it was conquirea again by the
Byzantines at the end of the ninth century Between the tenth and the twelfth century, Santa
Severina was at the height of its military, civil, religious and cultural splendour, and the town
asserted itself, besides as an important military stronghold, as a centre for civil jurisdiction and,
above al. As a centre of religion and Greek culture. Between the end of the ninth century and the
beginning of the tenth century, the Church of Santa Severina detached itself from Rome, adopted
the Greek rite and became a see of a metropolitan Archdiocese, directly responsible to the
Patriarchate of Bysantium. The Byzantine rule came to an end with the arrival of the Normans at
the end of the eleventh century.
The Norman-Swabian era
Towards the end of the eleventh century, Santa Severina was conquered by the Normans under
the leadership of Roberto il Guiscardo, who conferred on it the statute of a City of the State, which
was maintained until the end of the fourteenth century Santa Severina enjoyed a long period of
peace and prosperity, being able to count on great civil and religious autonomy; The town was
allowed to continue practising the Greek rite and to use the existing regulations, preserving and
developing its great cultural tradition as well. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the town
was subdued by the Swabians, ruled Southern Italy and Sicily under the leadership of the great
Frederick II.