Parolise
Parolise: a small community in the province of Avellino
Parolise is a town located in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region. With a population of 642 inhabitants, the town is situated between the valleys of the Sabato and Calore irpino rivers. The city of Avellino is just a few kilometers away. Parolise also includes the hamlet of Serra.
Origin of the name
The name Parolise may derive from the Latin "Praedium Paulisium," meaning "Paulisio's property," or from the Greek "Paulision", Παυλίσιον. According to other theories, the name may derive from the term "padule," meaning vegetable garden, with the substitution of the "d" for "r."
History
Origins
The only archaeological evidence of Parolise are the Graccani boundary stones with inscriptions from the Republican era. The toponym "Parolisio" appears for the first time in a bull of Pope Celestine III of November 4, 1197, which lists the territories of the Montevergine Abbey, including "Parolisio." However, it is not known whether this territory was already inhabited or not. Parolise is also mentioned in a document from 1340, which lists the hamlets that Filippo Filangieri had united to create the barony of Candida.
Middle Ages and Renaissance
In the Catalogue of Barons, Parolise is mentioned as part of the feudal territory of San Barbato, under the lordship of Manfred, between 1150 and 1168. In 1340, the feud was assigned to the Filangieri family. In the sixteenth century, it returned under the rulers of San Barbato, then under the Albertini, de Posellis, and finally, in 1681, it was sold to Duke Gerolamo Strambone of Salza Irpina. It was then confiscated by the Royal Court because Strambone had no heirs. In 1751, the feud was granted to the Prince of San Nicandro, Domenico Cattaneo and inherited by his son Francesco, who sold it to Giovanni Berio in 1760. Finally, in 1791, the feud passed to Francesco Berio, Marquis of Salza, and then to his granddaughter Carolina Boerio. Feudalism was abolished in 1806.
Symbols
In 2013, new municipal emblems were delivered for Parolise. The municipal administration discovered that the municipal coat of arms used for decades was not registered with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and was not even in official documentation. After a search in the State Archives of Avellino, Naples and Genoa, the Office of Honorary Heraldic Awards found an ancient coat of arms of Parolise in an inked stamp dating back to 1763 and 1811.
In summary, Parolise is a small community with an intriguing history, which has undergone numerous changes of ownership and has had different noble families as owners of the feud. The discovery of the ancient municipal coat of arms shows how important it is to preserve the history of local communities.
