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==History==
It is the ancient '''Caieta''', situated on the slopes of the Torre di Orlando, a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean. Gaeta was an ancient Ionian colony of the Samians according to Strabo.
According to [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' (vii.1–9), ''Caieta'' was [[Aeneas]]’ (another legend says or Ascanius') wet-nurse, whom he buried here. According to [[Strabo]] the name stemmed from the Greek ''kaiétas'', which means "cave", probably referring to the several harbours.
At the beginning of the [[Middle Ages]], after the [[Lombards]] invasion, Gaeta remained under [[Byzantine Empire]] suzerainty. In the following years, like [[Amalfi]], [[Sorrento]] and [[Naples]], it would seem to have established itself as a practically independent port and to have carried on a thriving trade with the [[Levant]]. Its history, however, is rather obscure until, around 830, it become a lordship ruled by hereditary ''[[Hypati]]'', or consuls: the first one was [[Constantine (Gaeta)|Constantine]] ([[839]]–[[866]]), who was followed by [[Marino I (Gaeta)|Marino I]] and then [[Docibile I]] (867-906). Greatest of the ''Hypati'' was [[John I (Gaeta)|John I]] ([[906]]–[[933]]), who crushed the [[Saracens]] at [[Battle of Garigliano|Garigliano]] in [[915]] and gained the title of ''[[patricius]]'' from the Byzantine Emperor [[Constantine VII]].
In 1039 Gaeta, with Amalfi and Naples, acknowledged the rule of Guaimario, Duke of [[Salerno]]; about forty years later the whole duchy of Salerno became part of Robert Guiscard's new Norman territory.
In the [[11th century]] the duchy fell into the hands of the [[Norman]] counts of [[Aversa]], who were afterwards princes of [[Capua]]; in [[1135]] it was definitively annexed to his kingdom by [[Roger of Sicily]]. The town, however, maintained its own coinage as late as [[1229]]. In [[1227]] [[Frederick II of Sicily|Frederick II]] was in the city and strengthened the castle. However, in the struggle between the Frederick and the [[Papacy]], Gaeta fell to the latter, and the Papal forces destroyed the imperial castle in the fray. In [[1233]], Frederick regained control of the important port and fortress. In [[1279]] [[Charles I of Anjou]] rebuilt the castle and enhanced the fortifications. In [[1289]] [[James of Aragon]] besieged the city in vain. From [[1378]] Gaeta hosted for some years [[antipope Clement VII]]. The future King of [[Naples]] [[Ladislas of Naples|Ladislas]] lived in Gaeta from [[1387]]. Here, on [[21 September]], he married [[Costanza Chiaramonte]], whom he repudiated three years later.▼
In the [[11th century]] the duchy fell into the hands of the [[Norman]] counts of [[Aversa]], who were afterwards princes of [[Capua]]; in [[1135]] it was definitively annexed to his kingdom by [[Roger of Sicily]].
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[[Alfons V of Aragon|Alfons I of Naples]] made Gaeta his beachhead for the conquest of the [[Kingdom of Naples]] in [[1435]]. He enlarged the castle, which became his royal palace, and created a mint. In [[1495]] [[Charles VIII of France]] conquered the city and sacked it. The following year, however, [[Frederick I of Aragon]] regained it with a tremendous siege which lasted from [[September 8]] to [[November 18]].
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[[Image:GaetaSErasmoDaSFrancesco_Wiki.JPG|left|thumb|300px|Gaeta's historic quarter from Monte Orlando.]]
On [[July 18]], [[1806]] it was captured, after an heroic defence, by the French under [[André Masséna|]]. It was created a [[duché grand-fief]] in the napoleonic kingdom of Naples forfinance minister [[Gaudin]], in 1809 (family extinguished in 1841).
In November [[1848]] [[Pope Pius IX]], after his flight in disguise from Rome, found a refuge at Gaeta, where he remained until [[September 4]], [[1849]]. Finally, in [[1860]], it was the scene of the last stand of [[Francis II of the Two Sicilies]] against the forces of United Italy. Shut up in the fortress with 12,000 men, after [[Giuseppe Garibaldi|Garibaldi]]'s occupation of [[Naples]], the king, inspired by the heroic example of Queen Maria, offered a stubborn resistance, and it was not till [[February 13]], [[1861]] that he was forced to capitulate after the withdrawal of the French fleet made bombardment from the sea possible,. ▼
On July 18, 1815 it capitulated, after a three months' siege, to the Austrians.
In November [[1848]] [[Pope Pius IX]], after his flight in disguise from Rome, found a refuge at Gaeta, where he remained until [[September 4]], [[1849]].
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After the [[Italian unification|Risorgimento]] and until [[World War II]], Gaeta grew in importance and wealth as a seaport. The nearby town of Elena, separated after the Risorgimento and named after the queen of Italy, was reunited to Gaeta following [[World War I]]. [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] transferred Gaeta from the southern region known today as [[Campania]] (formerly Terra di Lavoro, to which it is historically and culturally attached) to the central region of [[Lazio]]. During World War II, the city retained its strategic importance for Mussolini and later for his Nazi allies. After the king dismissed Mussolini, the latter was initially taken via Gaeta to the island prison of [[Ponza]] (where Mussolini had previously locked up many of his political enemies). To keep the population ignorant of the massive convoy, a false air-raid siren sounded. Mussolini would later be transferred to [[Gran Sasso]], from where the [[Germany|Germans]] rescued him.
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Following the Allied advance across the [[Garigliano River|Garigliano]] and the Allied occupation of [[Rome]], the Gaetani were allowed to return to their city and begin the process of rebuilding. In subsequent decades the city has boomed as a beach resort, and it has seen some success at marketing its agricultural products, primarily its tomatoes and olives. Many of its families count seamen among their number. However, the decades since World War II have been as difficult for Gaeta as they have been for most of Italy's ''[[Mezzogiorno]]''. In particular, its importance as a passenger seaport has nearly vanished: ferries to [[Ponza]] and elsewhere now leave from the nearby town of [[Formia]]. All attempts to build a permanent industry as a source of employment and economic well-being for the town have failed. Notable losses include the Littorina rail line (now used as a parking lot and a marketplace), the [[AGIP]] refinery (nowadays a simple depot), and the once-thriving glass factory, which has become an unused industrial relic.
==Ecclesiastical history==
Archdiocese in the province of [[Caserta]] in Campania (Southern Italy).
As Byzantine influence declined in Southern Italy the town began to grow. In the ninth century (840) the inhabitants of the neighbouring Formiæ fled to Gaeta through fear of the Saracens. Though under the suzerainty of Byzantium, Gaeta had then, like nearby ports [[Naples]] and [[Amalfi]], a republican form of government under a ''[[dux]]'' ('Duke, or commanding lord). It was a strong bulwark against Saracen invasion, and in 847 aided [[pope Leo IV]] in the naval fight at Ostia. Later, however, looking rather to local safety, its dux, Docibilis, entered into treaties with the Saracens. From the end of the ninth century the principality of Capua claimed it, as a title for the younger son of the prince.
In the many wars for possession of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Gaeta, owing to its important strategic position, was attacked as often and as bravely as it was defended. In 1194 the [[Pisa]]ns, allies of Henry VI in the conquest of the kingdom, took possession of the city and held it as their own. In 1228 it rebelled against Frederick II and surrendered to the pope, but after the peace of San Germano of 1230 it was given back to the Sicilian kingdom. In 1289 Don Jaime of Sicily tried to gain possession of it, but failed.
In 1435 King Alfonso V of Aragon (as [[Alfonso I of Naples]]) besieged it, and displayed great generosity, to his own disadvantage, by succouring those unable to bear arms who had been driven out from the besieged town. After a disastrous naval battle he captured it, and gained control of the kingdom.
In 1501 Gaeta was retaken by the French, who, after the defeat of Garigliano (January 3, 1504), abandoned it to Gonsalvo de Cordova, Ferdinand the Catholic's general.
The episcopal see dates from 846, when Constantine, Bishop of Formiæ, fled thither and established his residence. The see of Formiæ, abandoned since the end of the sixth century, was thereafter united to that of [[Minturno]] (Minturnæ).
This city has often been the refuge of illustrious personages: among others, of [[Gelasius II]], who was born there: of Margaret, Queen of Naples (1387): of [[Gregory XII]] (1410) after the capture of Rome by Alexander V; finally, of [[Pius IX]] (1848), during the Roman revolution.
In 1818 [[Pius VII]] joined to Gaeta the very ancient see of [[Fondi]]. It was once a suffragan of [[Capua]], then exempt (directly subject to the pope). [[Pius IX]] raised it to archiepiscopal rank, but without suffragans. Among its bishops of note were: Francesco Patrizio (1460), friend of Pius II, author of a work in nine books, "De Regno et De Institutione Regis", dedicated to Alfonso, Duke of Calabria; and Tommaso de Vio, better known as the famous Cardinal Cajetan. The Archdiocese of Gaeta had in the early 20th century 42 parishes with 83,600 faithful, 3 monasteries for men, 9 convents for women, and 2 Catholic weekly papers.
==Main sights==
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Main monuments of the city include:
* The massive '''Castle'''.
* The '''Mausoleum of [[Lucius Munatius Plancus]]''' ([[22 BC]]) is a cylindrical [[travertine]] monument at the top of Monte Orlando (168 m). It stands at 13.20m and has a diameter of 29.50 m. Another important [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] public man, [[Lucius Sempronius Atratinus]], [[Marc Antony]]'s fleet commander, has a mausoleum, sited in the more recent district of Gaeta: of similar diamater, it is however not as well preserved.
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*The '''Church of Annunziata''' ([[1320]]), was rebuilt at the beginning of the 17th century in [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style by [[Andrea Lazzari]]. It houses works by [[Luca Giordano]], [[Sebastiano Conca]] and [[Giacinto Brandi]], as well as the sarcophagus of Enrico Caracciolo, a notable [[Gothic art|Gothic]] work of art. The most interesting sight is however the '''Golden Grotto''', a [[Renaissance art|Renaissance]] room where [[Pope Pius IX]] devised the [[dogma]] of [[Papal infallibility]]. The walls of the grotto are decorated with 19 panels by [[Giovan Filippo Criscuolo]] ([[1531]]) into carved and gilded frames with small pilasters. On the altarpiece is an ''Immacolata'' by [[Scipione Pulzone]].
*Church of '''San Giovanni a Mare''' was built by the hypate Giovanni IV in the [[10th century]], outside the old sea walls of the city. It is a rare example of fusion between the [[basilica]] form with the [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] one. The simple façade has a Gothic portal and a dome, while the interior has a nave with two aisles. The inner pavement is slightly inclined to allow waters to flow away after sea floods.
*The '''Cathedral''' of '''Assunta and Sant'Erasmo'''
*The Cathedral has a great '''belfry''', standing at 57 m, which is considered the city's finest piece of art. The base has two marble lions, and the whole construction made large reuse of ancien Roman architectural elements. The upper part, octagonal in plan, with small Romanesque arches with majolica decoration, was completed in [[1279]]. ▼
*The Chapel of the Crucifix is a curiosity: built on a huge mass of rock that hangs like a wedge between two adjoining walls of rock. Legend tells how the rock was thus split at the moment of our Saviour's death.
▲*The Cathedral has a great '''belfry''', standing at 57 m, which is considered the city's finest piece of art. The base has two marble lions, and the whole construction made large reuse of ancien Roman architectural elements. The upper part, octagonal in plan, with small Romanesque arches with majolica decoration, was completed in [[1279]].
*The large church of '''St. Francis''', according to the legend constructed by the Saint himself in [[1222]], was in fact built by Frederick II, in very fine Gothic-Italian style, and contains paintings and sculpture by many of the most famous Neapolitan artists.
*The parish church of '''Santa Lucia''', the former ''St. Maria in Pensulis'',<!--not Peninsulis?--> was once a Royal chapel and here prayed [[Margherita of Durazzo]] and king [[Ladislas of Naples|Ladislas]]. It had originally Romanesque and [[Norman architecture|Sicilian-Arab]] lines, but in the [[1456]] it was rebuilt in Renaissance style, and in 1648 adapted to a Baroque one. The side has a Mediaeval ''[[pronaos]]'' with ancient fragments and figures of animals.
*The '''Medieval Quarter''' of Gaeta is itself of interest. It lies on the steep sides of Mount Orlando and has characteristic houses from the 11th-13th centuries.
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==Culture==
Gaeta has erected a monument to Giovanni Caboto ([[John Cabot]]), who according to many sources was born there (although other sources give [[Genoa]]). Other important people which was born in Gaeta include: [[Pope Gelasius II]], writer and Papal diplomatic [[Tommaso De Vio]], and the painters [[Giovanni da Gaeta]], [[Giovan Filippo Criscuolo]] (c. 1500-[[1584]]), [[Scipione Pulzone]] ([[1550]]-[[1597]]) and [[Sebastiano Conca]] ([[1680]]-[[1764]]).
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The town is also notable for its distinctive brand of olives, marketed throughout the world (the main production, however, takes place in neighbouring [[Itri]]), and its beaches (Serapo, Fontania, Ariana, Sant'Agostino).
==Sources and External links==
{{1911}}▼
{{Catholic}}
* [http://www.gaeta.it gaeta.it]
* [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/napoleon.htm#duches Heraldica.org - Napoleonic heraldry]
▲{{1911}}
[[Category:Coastal towns in Lazio]]
[[Category:Repubbliche Marinare of Italy]]
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