Cropani

Comune in Calabria, Italy

Cropani Ancient Greek: Krópos
Comune
Comune di Cropani
On the left, from the top: the historical center, the "Naca", the mouth of River Crocchio; On the right, from the top: the "Dormitio Virginis", the church of Santa Caterina, the beach in Cropani Marina
Location of Cropani
38°58′N 16°47′E / 38.967°N 16.783°E / 38.967; 16.783
Country	Italy
Region	Calabria
Province	Catanzaro (CZ)
Frazioni	Cropani Marina, Cuturella
Government
• Mayor	None (commissars)
Area ^[1]
• Total	44.81 km² (17.30 sq mi)
Elevation	347 m (1,138 ft)
Population (2013)^[2]
• Total	4,701
• Density	100/km² (270/sq mi)
Demonym	Cropanesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	88051
Dialing code	0961
Patron saint	Saint Sebastian
Saint day	20 January
Website	Official website

Cropani is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. The comune is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from the sea and 13 km (8.1 mi) from the Sila. Two fractions are part of the municipal territory: Cropani Marina and Cuturella. According to tradition, the ship carrying the relics of Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria to Venice found refuge on the coasts of Cropani. In gratitude, the captain gave the city a relic (a fragment of a kneecap) preserved in its Romanesque cathedral.

History

The word "Cropani" derives from the Greek "kropos", which literally means "manure", in the meaning of "rich, fertile land". It was assumed that the first settlements arose following the emigration of the inhabitants of two cities destroyed or disappeared: Erapolis, near the river Crocchio, and Atenapolis located near the river Simeri. Although its origin is uncertain, some sources agree with the Byzantine one, during the sixth century, when Basilian monks came and chose this place because it was strategic to defend itself against foreign attacks. However, the town already existed around the 1800s. In this regard, the seventeenth-century cropanese historian Giovanni Fiore said that in 831 some Venetian merchants arrived near Cropani, returning from Alexandria in Egypt where they had taken the remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist.

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.