of the Holy Family," who had schools "of Mary" for the education of Albanian girls. The Byzantine Oratorians have disappeared (see p. 124); but the Sisters remain. They have at Piana a "College of Mary," where girls are educated in their own rite and language. The whole of Piana talks Albanian; but about a third of the people have passed to the Roman rite. Out of 10,000 inhabitants 7,000 are Byzantine. They have two parishes, altogether five churches, and two country chapels of the Byzantine rite. The chief church, the "matrice" of the place, is St Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Protopapa of this church has jurisdiction over all the Byzantine clergy, except the one of the "Annunziata," who is exempt. There are now ten Byzantine priests at Piana. There is also one Latin parish church; but in all they preach and teach catechism in Albanian. The Byzantine rite is celebrated with great care and even pomp, though naturally with the special features of the Italo-Greeks. They have extra-liturgical devotions and hymns in Albanian. The music they sing is very curious; here best of all you may hear the traditional Italo-Greek chants and popular Albanian hymn-tunes. In short, if the traveller wishes to get an impression of the Italo-Greeks he should undoubtedly go to Piana.[1]
Six kilos. south-east of Piana is Santa Cristina Gela.[2] This colony was founded from Piana in 1691. Its present position is ambiguous. All the inhabitants speak only Albanian and are of the Byzantine rite. But since about fifty years ago the parish priest is a Latin; so they have to receive sacraments and attend services in that rite. There is now a movement to restore the Byzantine rite here.
Then, 17 kilos. south-east again, we come to the village with the strange name Mezzoiuso.[3] The people here are all Albanians by descent; but (as far as I know) not one of them speaks that language; all are now italianized. The greater part have also passed to the Roman rite. Of about 7,000 in-
- ↑ For Piana see Rodotà, iii, 117-120; Vannutelli, 91-98; "Roma e l'Oriente,” iii, 265; Moroni, "Diz. di Erud.," loc. cit.
- ↑ "Roma e l'Or.," iii, 267; Vannutelli (p. 98) is mistaken in saying that at S Cristina all are now Latins.
- ↑ It has had various strange forms of its name in the past, Muniussum, Miziliusum, Minziliusum, etc. Now it is Mezzoiuso, or Mezzoiusso, in Latin Medium iussum, or Oppidum Dimidii Iussi. The usual explanation is "medium ius," meaning that rights or property was divided, or that it stood half-way between two boundaries I am rather inclined to see in it an Arabic word, possibly a participle of the tenth form.
