San Giovanni Gemini
The origin of the territory of San Giovanni Gemini dates back to 1451, the year in which Federico Abatellis, count of Cammarata, obtained from King Ferdinando the privilege of building (jus aedificandi) in his fiefdoms. In 1507 the licentia populandi was granted that the Counts exercised in a flat place near Cammarata, beyond the Turibolo river.
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There are three hypotheses regarding the historical origins of San Giovanni Gemini: There is talk of Cammaratesi not liked by the Counts, who were banned from Cammarata and settled in San Giovanni Gemini. The ban was a form of forced domicile that was inflicted for minor crimes or to drive away unwelcome people to the local authorities. To this could be connected the events that involved Count Abatellis in the conspiracy against the Emperor brothers, which ended with the death sentence of Frederick II Abatellis, beheaded in Milazzo in 1525. So it is possible that some partisan of the Count, for political reasons, was banished by Cammarata.
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A possible explanation about the origins of San Giovanni Gemini is reported by Father La Pilusa and concerns the landslide that occurred around 1537, the year in which due to an earthquake, he collapsed the hill where the castle of Cammarata stood. The castle was repaired but the houses on the edge of the cliff collapsed, so it is possible that the families, who suffered the worst losses, obtained permission from the Count to build on the plan of San Giovanni which extended from the current church of San Giuvannuzzo to the viale Dionisio Alessi.
Another hypothesis on the origins of San Giovanni Gemini, in the opinion of Monsignor De Gregorio, originates from an alleged population of the countryside with a spontaneous increase in the populations that gave rise first to a village, and to San Giovanni di Cammarata, then. In 1587 Ercole Branciforte, count of Cammarata, assigned a small portion of the territory to the new town, and therefore from then San Giovanni di Cammarata began an independent civil and administrative life. In 1878 at the behest of some noble families, the town took on its current name and with the current coat of arms. The coat of arms depicts a rampant lion with severed legs that bravely holds up the banner of the noble family, in honor and in memory of a historical ancestor Obizzo, standard bearer of the Carolingian army who in 790 despite having undergone, in battle, the change of his hands, he continued to hold up the banner of the house until victory. This example of courage earned him the nickname "De Branchiis Fortibus" (Branciforti) and the recognition of several fiefdoms in the Piacenza area, from
THE MOTHER CHURCH
Wanted by Duke Ercole Branciforti and built with the help of the whole population and his Archpriest Don Girolamo Vanni, it dates back to the early 1600s. Completed after 1620 by the archpriest Don Girolamo Giambruno, in 1645 the wooden effigy of Jesus was brought there. Nazzareno. The date of 1708 that can be read on the architrave of the main door would indicate the year in which it was completed. The Church has three aisles 35 meters long. The central 7.50 meters wide has a main altar full of precious marbles in the background, in the center of the choir. Eight are the side chapels. The stuccos on the three sides of the choir are particularly interesting from an artistic point of view, especially the one depicting the Marie and San Giovanni at the foot of the Nazzareno. The religious center of the town has been restored several times.
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