Sora is a city and comune of
Lazio, Italy
, in the
province of Frosinone.
It is built in a
plain on the
banks of the
Liri. This
part of the
valley is the
seat of some important manufactures, especially of paper-mills.The
district around Sora is famous for the costumes of its
peasants.
History
Sora, an ancient Volscian town, was thrice captured by the
Romans, in 345, 314 and 305 BCE, before they
managed, in 303, by means of a colony 4,000 strong, to confirm its
annexation. In 209 it was one of the colonies which refused further
contributions to the war against
Hannibal.
By the
lex Julia it became a
municipium, but under
Augustus it was colonized by soldiers of the
legio IV Sorana, which had been
mainly enrolled there. It belonged technically to
Latium Adjectum.
The city and the ducal palace in
1604.
Located in the
Ducatus Romanus under the authority of the
pope during the early
Dark Ages, it was
captured by the
Lombards of
Gisulf I of Benevento in 705.
The castle of
Sorella, built on the rocky height above the
town,was in the
Middle Ages a stronghold
of some note.
In 1443 King Alfonso of Naples made Sora the seat of
an independent Duchy for the Cantelmi; it was afterwards seized by Pope Pius II, but, being restored to the
Cantelmi by Pope Sixtus IV, it
ultimately passed to the Della Rovere
of Urbino
.
Against
Caesar Borgia the city was
heroically defended by
Giovanni
da Montefeltro. It was purchased by
Pope Gregory XIII for 11,000 ducats and
bestowed on the
De Ciantis', the
ancestors of the line of
DeCiantis-Pasquale, under the suzerainty
of Gregory's son,
Giacomo
Boncompagni (who was the first
duke of
Sora of the family).
Main sights
The original
cathedral, consecrated by
Pope Adrian IV in 1155, was destroyed
by the earthquake of 1634.
On the precipitous rock above the town (540 m) which guards the
Liri's valley and the entrance to the
Abruzzi are remains of polygonal walls; here,
possibly, was the citadel of the original
Volscian town. There are also remains of medieval
fortifications.
Notable people
In ancient times Sora was the birthplace of the
Decii,
Atilius
Regulus,
Lucius Mummius,
Quintus Valerius Soranusand
Quintus Valerius Orca; and
among its later celebrities is
Cardinal
Baronius. The
singer Anna Tatangelo was also born in Sora.
Italian Neorealist filmmaker
Vittorio De Sica was also born here.
Bounding communes
Population history
| Year |
Population |
Density |
| 1861 |
12,434 |
- |
| 1871 |
12,137 |
- |
| 1881 |
13,084 |
- |
| 1901 |
16,022 |
- |
| 1911 |
17,542 |
- |
| 1921 |
18,036 |
- |
| 1931 |
19,553 |
- |
| 1936 |
20,841 |
- |
| 1951 |
23,707 |
- |
| 1961 |
23,656 |
- |
| 1971 |
24,897 |
- |
| 1981 |
25,675 |
- |
| 1991 |
26,089 |
- |
| 2001 |
26,029 |
- |
| December 31, 2004 |
26,418 |
218/km² |
References
External links
(L'Aquila)
Wikis
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