Plan of the Works of the city of Messina, one of the strongest and most confiderable Cities of Sicily, and a fine sea- port

Title

Plan of the Works of the city of Messina, one of the strongest and most confiderable Cities of Sicily, and a fine sea- port

Description

Map shows the port of Messina with offshore ships and city index.

ca. 1745

Artist

Rapin de Thoyras (1661-1725)

Paul de Rapin de Thoyras ( 1661 – 1725), sieur of Thoyras (and therefore styled Thoyras de Rapin), was a French historian writing under English patronage. The son of Jacques de Rapin, an avocat at Castres (Tarn), he was educated at the Protestant Academy of Saumur, and in 1679 became an advocate, but soon afterwards joined the army. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and the death of his father led him to move to England; but, unable to find work there, he went on to the Netherlands where he enlisted in a company of French volunteers at Utrecht, commanded by his cousin, Daniel de Rapin. He accompanied William III to England in 1688, and during the Williamite war in Ireland he took part in the Siege of Carrickfergus and the Battle of the Boyne, and was wounded at the Siege of Limerick (1690). Soon afterwards he was promoted to captain; but in 1693 he resigned in order to become tutor to the Earl of Portland's son. After travelling with the boy, he settled with his family (he married Marie-Anne Testart in 1699) in Holland, first at the Hague, then,at Wesel, in 1707.

Historical Description

Messina was founded in the 8th century BC. Because of its favorable location, it was settled by Ionian colonists after Thucydides from Kyme, followed shortly afterwards by other settlers from Kyme, Chalkis and other places in Evia. At the end of the First Punic War, Messina was a free city that was allied with Rome. It soon became part of the Province of Sicily. Until the 9th century, the city experienced an economic boom as an important trading center. In 843 the city was conquered by the Arabs, in 1061 by the Normans. In 1232 the city was the center of an unsuccessful uprising against Emperor Friedrich II. After the rule of the Staufer and Anjous, Messina became the capital of the Regno di Sicilia under the rule of Aragon. It was not until the 16th century that Palermo became the preferred seat of kings and viceroys. In 1783, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit the city. Much of the buildings, including the cathedral and palaces of the Palazzata, were destroyed by the quake and the subsequent tidal wave. The reconstruction was based on a regular city map with wide streets and spacious squares. The Palazzata was rebuilt in the classicist style from 1808 under the direction of Giacomo Minutoli.