Oria - Palazzo del Sedile

Oria was known as Hyria in classical times and was a Roman colony, when - as legends tell - St. Peter passed through here, preached the Gospel and consecrated the first bishop.

After the fall of the Roman Empire Oria shared the fate of all towns in Southern Italy. Looted by Langobards and Ostrogoths. In 880 it fell into Byzantine hands, in 924 the Saracens set the city on fire and in 977 and was completely destroyed by Saracen troops. Norman Humphrey of Hauteville ("Unfredo di Altavilla") conquered Oria in 1062.

Oria had one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. Jewish scholarship in Oria included the study of philosophy, the Talmud, languages such as Greek and Latin, and medicine and natural sciences.

The "Palazzo del Sedile" is located at the central Piazza Manfredi. It is a square tower in Baroque-Renaissance style, erected in 1700. The Palazzo del Sedile, initially was the seat of the decurions, called "Seggio dei Nobili" (Seat of the Nobles). The decurions were members of the municipal administration and represented the political power of a city. On the upper façade there are two statues representing San Barsanofio and San Carlo Borromeo, in the centre a coat of arms depicting a Bird and two Lions, emblems of the city.