Palestrina (redirected from Palestrina (RM))

Palestrina (pälāstrē`nä), town (1991 pop. 15,802), in Latium, central Italy. It is an agricultural market. It is located on the site of Praeneste, a town founded by c.800 B.C. and later destroyed (and rebuilt) by the Romans in the 1st cent. B.C. Of note are the ruins of a temple of Fortuna (8th cent. B.C.), celebrated for its oracles, and a 12th-century cathedral. The composer Palestrina was born there (c.1525).

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Praeneste

 modern Palestrina

Ancient city, Latium, central Italy. Praeneste was located on a spur of the Apennines. Founded before the 8th century BC, it saw many battles with Rome before becoming part of the Roman Empire. It was a major centre for the cult of the goddess Fortuna, whose sanctuary and temple oracle were surrounded by an immense complex of buildings. It became a favourite summer resort of wealthy Romans, including Augustus, Hadrian, and Pliny the Younger. The modern town is the birthplace of composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

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Palestrina

Giovanni Pierluigi da . ?1525--94, Italian composer and master of counterpoint. His works, nearly all for unaccompanied choir and religious in nature, include the Missa Papae Marcelli (1555)