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Santagata from Riardo and Sant'Agata Dei Goti: Family History

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Santagata from Riardo and Sant'Agata Dei Goti: Family History

Posted: 6 Jun 2013 12:56PM GMT
Classification: Query
Greetings: The following history is a rough translation with my own interpretations and additions of a book written in Italian by Rocco Piscitelli titled: "Storia di Riardo e Della "Madonna della Stella" (History of Riardo and of our Lady of the Stars), pages 276 to 278.
The town of Riardo (Caserta), Campania, Italy is my birthplace. I invite you to visit it. In the name of past and present citizens of Riardo, I wish you peace, good health, prosperity, liberty and happiness.
Walter Claudio Caiazza 6/6/2013

The Santagata Family History in Riardo (Caserta), Campania, Italy

The ancient and of noble descent Family Santagata can trace its origin to the Longobard Pandolfo/Landolfo, Count of Sant'Agata dei Goti (BN: Benevento Province in the Campania Region), who in 995 was acclaimed by the town residents of Capua and of its principality as a sovereign where he was born from Notalberto Gonsalone. Pandolfo/Landolfo was a nephew of Prince Pandolfo Capodiferro who was called Santagata after its independent principality. The Santagata of Riardo can trace their roots directly to this Prince. Beginning in 1662, we can find some news about these Santagatas, when we read about an Agostinian Convent with the attached S. Leonardo Church was transferred to the Santagata of Riardo and to the local priest.

In 1725, we find that Gennaro Santagata and his wife Caterina Caiazza (both important residents of Riardo), in the nearby area of "Zeppetelli" of Assano and Rocchetta, served as Godfather and Godmother to the baptism of Domenico Antonio Anselmo Zeppetella son of Cristoforo Zeppetella and Ippolita Di Biasio. (This Domenico Zeppetella, some 35 years later, married Ippolita Caiazza who came from the noble Caiazza family of Riardo. Ippolita Caiazza was the widow of Constantino Santagata and was mother of Priest Don Michele Santagata).

From these same Santagata, in 1753, came Don Crescenzo who was Archpriest of Riardo and his brother Don Marco who was Priest of Vairano in 1758. Don Michele Santagata also became a priest and from 1810 to 1834 was assigned to Riardo where he had previously lived. Don Michele was also a good poet.

In the early 1800's, a Giovanni Santagata, not from Teano but from Riardo, married with Mariannina Russo was Riardo's town doctor. Their children were Nicola, Crescenzo, Constantino (1812-1890 and Gennaro. Nicola Santagata married Rosa Luisa Caiazza (sister of Don Antonio Caiazza (1794-1854). Their daughter, Enrichetta, was born on March 26, 1821. In a 1847 ceremony conducted by the Reverend Vincenzo De Ponte from Pietramelara, Enrichetta married Nicola Peluso (his father was Lucio and his mother was Anna Zona) from Roccaromana. Enrichetta died during childbirth on January 10, 1858. Her first born daughter, Marianna Peluso, married with a Canelli from Limitola (also located in the Benevento Province), placed a memory plaque in the A.G.P. Hospital chapel of Roccaromana. This plaque was still in existence until recently. However, the hospital and its chapel closed.

In 1830, Crescenzo Santagata married Vincenza Caiazza (sister of Rosa Luisa Caiazza). Meanwhile, Constantino Santagata married Giulia De Nuccio whose father was Gennaro De Nuccio. From Constantino and Giulia came Rachele Santagata (married in Pietramelara) and Gaetana (mother of Pasquale De Luca who was a good tailor, a good clarinet musician and husband of Clementina Lajet). After being widowed and at an older age, Constantino Santagata married a second time. He married Nicolina Montanaro (sister of Maria Antonia, mother of Maria Mollica who had married Pasquale de Nuccio, mother of Carmela who had married Rocco Piscitelli, and of Lucia who had married Candido De Nuccio. Nicolina and Crescenzo had children named: Giovanni (a very good musician who died about 1900 in Teano where he lived with his only daughter and who was about 40 years old), Giulia (elementary school teacher who married in Riardo a Vincenzo Ferraro), and Mariannina (a dresser maker who married in Riardo Antonio Langellotti who was a gentleman from a noble, ancient family.

Note: Added by Walter Claudio Caiazza
Mariannina and Constantino had a daughter named Antonietta. Antonietta married a Paolo Sgambelloni. Antonietta was my baptismal Godmother.

Returning to the book:
Nicola Santagata was Riardo's mayor from 1840 to 1845.
The fourth brother, Gennaro Santagata, never married, lived in the old Agostinian convent which had remained in his family but was now called "Portone dei Santagata" (entrance to the Santagatas) and also included the attached S. Leonardo Church whose roof was in disrepair in 1901, was a councilman in Riardo. When he died all of his property, passed on to his housekeeper named Caterina. Caterina later married Casto del Vecchio. The property was eventually subdivided to other proprietors.

With the death of Mariannina Santagata in 1948 at 86 years of age, this Santagata Family branch in Riardo became extinct.

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