appears to have had such an exterior structure at one time.
In the following image, a small round baptistery appears to the left of San Nicola Bari. The larger structures to the left of the baptistery includes a town fountain and a Roman amphitheater. To the right of the church, high on a rocky hill, is the Moorish castle. This painting is located in the Council Hall of the Municipio, and is part of a series of frescoes created by Francesco Barbera in 1610 which chronicle the history of Termini Imerese.
In an age when writing was an art practiced only by the few educated folks in any town, it was important to have important records located in a central repository where professional scribes (notaries) could easily work on them, and San Nicola functioned as that place for many years, even when baptisms began to be performed elsewhere in Termini. The language utilized by the scribes who composed Codex A is Ecclesiastical Latin with unique Sicilian overtones, the latter being necessary to convey the surnames of the residents of Termini Imerese, in particular. It is to be noted that, in an effort to save space on the written page, Ecclesiastical Latin tends to be expressed in contractions and abbreviations.
Here are several versions of the name Giovanni Battista as it appears within the pages of the 1542-48 Baptismal Records:
In the list above, the first seven versions of the name in the manuscript are abbreviations of Giovanni Battista ranging from complex to simple. (Older styles of the letters ‘s ‘and ‘i ‘are used rather interchangeably with the current manner of writing these letters.) It is only in the final three items that the actual name in 16th-century Sicilian emerges, and in three variants: Iommatista, Iambattista, and Ioambatista.
For a complete discussion of the scholarly criteria followed in the present translation of Codex A, see the section: Translation of Codex A from the original Sicilian-Latin.
It is clear from the rubrics found throughout Codex A, that this is an official government document. Indeed, the end point of Fiscal Year 1541-42 (when all books of the Sicilian government were closed and sent to the authorities for review) is clearly delineated in Codex A. It is to be noted that starting with the year initiated on September 1, 1542, the fiscal years are numbered I through VI.
Termini baptisms included two Godfathers (just as in England at this time) , rather than the usual pairing of a single Godfather with a Godmother; and the position of Godmother at San Nicola might be described as a vocation. It would appear that the latter women were primarily nuns. The job of the Godparents was twofold: firstly, they bore witness to the baptism. And secondly, the Godparents were charged to assure that, should the mother and father be unable to bring up baptized person in the Catholic religion, then they would take on that responsibility .
In all but a few cases, the father or godfathers brought in the person to be baptized. That person could be a baby, child, other relative, or a slave. The latter are delineated by ethnicity only when they are black Africans or Roma (Gypsies). It is to be noted that in the 16th Century, a mother who had just given birth was not permitted to enter a church (which includes the external baptistery) until a short period thereafter when she was purified via the Rite of Churching. In fact, very few mothers are mentioned in Codex A.
The following image shows a typical entry in Codex A: The translation from Sicilian-Latin: ‘On August 7, 1544, Father Vito Pantano baptized the daughter of Antonio Gebbo. She was named Giovanna. Her godfathers are Antonio Battaglia and Antonino Imperaturi. Sister Domenica LaGrigola is the godmother’.
As Termini Imerese is blessed with an outstanding harbor, ‘lo Caricatojo,’ and a fortuitous location providing access to the interior of Sicily, one can readily understand its attraction to those who ran important businesses in the mid-1500s when Codex A was being compiled. To be sure, the tuna fisheries, the famous hot springs, and the overseas trade in agri