San Cipirello
The birth of San Cipirello and its history
San Cipirello is a municipality in the metropolitan city of Palermo in Sicily. Its origin is linked to the neighboring town of San Giuseppe Jato, whose original name was San Giuseppe lì Mortilli. In 1838, a landslide destroyed much of the town without causing any casualties. The affected people then moved southward to the area of Sancipirello, where they built their houses, and the Princess of Camporeale, Laura Acton, provided them with the land for free. In 1841, another disaster caused further migration to the same area, which already had a small church and a population of 700. The new urban settlement required an urban plan, which included four squares with fountains and the four corners of the town.
The main church of San Cipirello
The design of the new church was created by the architect Fra' Serafino, who was commissioned to create a structure similar to the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi in Palermo. This project was then refined and continued by the architect Achille Viola, who also oversaw the facade's definition. The imposing structure of the main church of San Cipirello was built to give sacredness to the town and its community.
The request for autonomy of San Cipirello
In a short time, the inhabitants of the new urban settlement repeatedly asked to become an autonomous municipality. In 1847, the inhabitants of San Cipirello requested autonomy for the second time, but their pleas got lost in the bureaucracy. In 1848, with the Bourbon Restoration, San Cipirello became a hamlet of San Giuseppe lì Mortilli again. However, the inhabitants did not give up and continued to demand autonomy during the Italian Risorgimento, until they proclaimed themselves as a municipality by choosing their own representatives.
The autonomy of San Cipirello
The inhabitants of the small town had to wait for the Unification of Italy for the new urban settlement of San Cipirello to obtain autonomy. This was granted with the law no. 2240 of June 2, 1864, which defined San Cipirello as a separate municipality. From that moment on, the small town could independently manage its own administrative activities and become increasingly independent.
Conclusions
The history of San Cipirello is the story of a small town that had to overcome many difficulties to become what it is today. Its achievement of autonomy represents an important signal of a community that has known how to fight, earn respect, and the right to self-manage. The presence of the main church is a symbol of the sense of community that animates San Cipirello today, a place that, despite adversity, has been able to resurrect and thrive.
