Gerace

A Greek stronghold on the "outskirts" of the Kingdom: Gerace, city of bishops

Gerace stands on the rocky upland that rises between Cape Spartivento and the Roccella promontory, 480 meters above sea level.

The most recent excavation campaigns conducted in these territories have brought to light prehistoric finds and traces of protohistoric settlements. Also frequented during the development of the underlying Greek colony of Locri, the Gerace upland became a military garrison in Roman times.

The foundation of the city occurred gradually, at the end of the 7th century, when the inhabitants of ancient Locri, forced to abandon the dangerous and unhealthy coastal area in which they had previously settled, moved to the hill above. The site, which acquired increasing importance in the Byzantine era, first took on the name of "Santa Ciriaca" (Hagìa Kyriaké), a hagionym from which, according to some, the toponym Gerace later derived. 

Opinions on the etymology are still varied and conflicting: the best known proposes the derivation from the Greek hierax, referring to the legend of the sparrowhawk that led the Locrians fleeing from the Saracen incursions to Gerace. The most likely, however, identifies its origin from Iera Akis "sacred peak", after the transfer of the bishop's chair of Locri.

In the Norman age, an extraordinary building and artistic development took place in Gerace, evidenced by the foundation of new churches, the complete renovation of the cathedral and the restoration of the castle.

Declared a royal city in 1300 and entitled county in 1348, Gerace continued to be contested during the 15th century between monarchical power and great feudal families, taking on a role that was anything but secondary in the cultural and political dynamics of the Kingdom, though located very far from the capital. Elected as a marquisate, it remained in the hands of the Cordova family until 1558, enjoying strong economic and cultural growth in the 16th century.

Culture in Gerace had experienced a previous phase of development in the 14th century, under the impetus of Roberto d'Angiò and thanks to the impulse given by some bishops of Greek culture such as Giovannicio Tirseo, Barlaam da Seminara and Simone Atumano. 

The persistence of Italian-Greek monasticism would then contribute to the development of a multicultural humanism which found its fulcrum in the diocese entrusted to the care of learned humanists, such as Atanasio Calceopulo, advocate of the transition to the Latin rite. 

Subsequently, high-ranking figures such as Tiberio Muti, Andrea Candida, Ottaviano Pasqua, favored the assimilation of the Tridentine dictates in the diocese and assumed a leading role in the urban history of the city, thanks to their artistic and architectural commissions.