1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Nicosia (Sicily)

NICOSIA, a city and episcopal see (since 1816) of Sicily, in the province of Catania, 21 m. by road N. of the railway station of Leonforte (which is 49 m. W. of Catania) and 42 m. W.N.W. of Catania direct, 2840 ft. above sea-level. Pop. (1901) 16,004. The town retains a thoroughly medieval appearance, with a fine Norman cathedral and some other interesting churches, among them S. Maria Maggiore, with a reredos by Antonio Gagini. A Lombard dialect is still spoken here, and the town is less modernized in every respect than any other in Sicily. The Sicel town of Herbita is usually placed here, but without sufficient reason, and the origin of Nicosia is unknown. It was destroyed by the Saracens and repopulated by the Normans.