Caorle
Caorle
Càorle (Venetian) | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Caorle | |
 Cathedral bell tower | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Caorle  | |
St. Stephen | |
| Saint day | December 26 |
| Website | Official website |
Caorle (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːorle];[3] Venetian: Càorle) is a coastal town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy, located between the estuaries of the Livenza and Lemene rivers. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea between two other tourist towns, Eraclea and Bibione.
History
The ancient name of the city was Caprulae (possibly because of the wild goats that grazed in this area, or in honour of pagan goddess Capris); Caorle was founded in the 1st century BC by Romans. Many archeological findings confirm this attribution, for instance the sacrificial altar called Ara Licovia (Licovian Altar, from the Roman Licovi family), today housed in the cathedral. A safe zone between the estuaries of the Livenza (Latin: Liquentia) and Lemene (Latin: Romantinum) rivers, Caorle gained importance when people from
Caorle was an important strategic location during
Territory
Since the beginning of the 20th century the territory around Caorle has been deeply modified. Most of the woods of the "Selva Lupanica" were cut to give room to fields for cultivation, rivers were embanked, and marshes were reclaimed. This brought a landscape of wide flat areas, with no trees even along the rivers course. Along the coast, sedimentation and erosion constantly modify the scenery.
The landscape is still rather wild, with changing sandbanks and the fishing valleys.
Main sights
Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Stephen was built in 1038, an example of
Outside, the characteristic bell tower, dating to 1048, rises to a height of 48 meters. It is a typical example of Romanesque style, but it has a cylindrical structure, and it is surmounted by a cone-shaped cusp, that makes it unique in the world.
The cathedral owns a liturgical museum, inaugurated on September 13, 1975 by
Church of the Blessed Virgin of the Angel
The Church of Blessed Virgin of the Angel is built on a little promontory on the sea. In ancient times, the church had three naves, but the sea repeatedly destroyed one of them, so in the 18th century the church was rebuilt, with the structure that it has today. The legend says that one day a number of fishermen saw a light on the sea; when they approached it, they found a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child, and they carried it ashore. The bishop and the townspeople tried to carry the statue to the cathedral but it was very heavy; so the bishop called a group of children who, because of their innocence, succeeded in carrying it to the nearby church of
Devotion to the "Virgin of the sea" is very important to the Caprulans; to her are dedicated two festivals, the annual Feast of Incoronation, during which takes place the traditional "fire of the bell tower", with fireworks, and the Feast of the Virgin of the Angel which, in accordance with the wishes of Pope John XXIII, takes place every five years.
Being the church at the end of the waterfront promenade, its bell tower is used as a lighthouse.
Tourism
Caorle is a small city, but is frequented by tourists in all seasons. The old town centre is still structured as a little Venetian corner, with its coloured houses, its "calli" (alleys) and "campielli" (squares). During the summer many family-oriented activities take place on its long beach. Others are organized in its lagoon (an example of Venetian lagoon), where many characteristic traditional "casoni" (the huts where fishermen lived in the winter while fishing) still stand.
Notable people
Recently, the city of Caorle gave honorary citizenship to
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Caorle". Dizionario d'Ortografia e di Pronunzia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
- ^ Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, pp. 780-781
- ^ Trino Bottani, Saggio di storia della città di Caorle, Venezia 1811
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 857
External links
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
