Matteo Renzi is Italian and was born in Florence.
The history of Kilkenny began with an early sixth-century ecclesiastical foundation , this relates to a church built in honour of St. Canice , now St. Canice 's Cathedral and was a major monastic centre from at least the eighth century .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. St. Canice. St. Canice. The Annals of the Four Masters recorded the first reference Cill Chainnigh in 1085 .. Annals of the Four Masters. Annals of the Four Masters. Prehistoric activity has been recorded suggesting intermittent settlement activity in the area in the Mesolithic and Bronze Age .. Information on the history of Kilkenny can be found from newspapers , photographs , letters , drawings , manuscripts and archaeology .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Kilkenny is documented in manuscripts from the 13th century onwards and one of the most important of these is Liber Primus Kilkenniensis .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. The Kings of Ossory had residence around Cill Chainnigh .. Kings of Ossory. Kingdom of Osraige. The seat of diocese of Kingdom of Osraige was moved from Aghaboe to Cill Chainnigh .. Kingdom of Osraige. Kingdom of Osraige. Aghaboe. Aghaboe. Following Norman invasion of Ireland , Richard Strongbow , as Lord of Lenister , established a castle near modern-day Kilkenny Castle .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Norman invasion of Ireland. Norman invasion of Ireland. Richard Strongbow. Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Lord of Lenister. Lordship of Ireland. Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny Castle. William Marshall began the development of the town of Kilkenny and a series of walls to protect the burghers .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. William Marshall. William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. burghers. Bourgeoisie. By the late thirteenth century Kilkenny was under Norman-Irish control .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Norman-Irish. Hiberno-Norman. The original ecclesiastical centre at St. Canice 's Cathedral became known as Irishtown and the Anglo-Norman borough inside the wall came to be known as Hightown .. St. Canice. St. Canice. Hiberno-Norman Kilkenny presence in Kilkenny was deeply shaken by the Black Death , which arrived in Kilkenny in 1348 .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Hiberno-Norman. Hiberno-Norman. Black Death. Black Death. The Statutes of Kilkenny passed at Kilkenny in 1367 , aimed to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Hiberno-Norman. Hiberno-Norman. Statutes of Kilkenny. Statutes of Kilkenny. Lordship of Ireland. Lordship of Ireland. In 1609 King James I of England granted Kilkenny a Royal Charter giving it the status of a city .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. King James I of England. James I of England. Royal Charter. Royal Charter. Following the Rebellion of 1641 , the Irish Catholic Confederation , also known as the `` Confederation of Kilkenny '' , and was based in Kilkenny and lasted until the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649 .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Rebellion of 1641. Irish Rebellion of 1641. Irish Catholic Confederation. Irish Catholic Confederation. Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. James II of England spent most of the winter months from November 1689 until January 1690 at Kilkenny , residing in the castle. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. James II of England. James II of England. The Kilkenny Design Workshops were opened in 1965 and in 1967 the Marquess of Ormonde presented Kilkenny Castle to the people of Kilkenny .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny Design Workshops. Kilkenny Design Workshops. Marquess of Ormonde. Marquess of Ormonde. Today , the city has a lively cultural scene , with annual events including the Kilkenny Arts Week Festival in the last two weeks of August , and the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival at the beginning of June .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Kilkenny Arts Week. Kilkenny Arts Week. Cat Laughs. Cat Laughs. The City has been referred to as the Marble City .. People from Kilkenny are often referred to as Cats .. Kilkenny. Kilkenny. Cats. Kilkenny cat. The seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory is at St. Mary 's Cathedral and the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel and Ossory is at St. Canice 's Cathedral .. St. Canice. St. Canice. Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory. Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory. Church of Ireland. Church of Ireland. Bishop of Cashel and Ossory. Bishop of Ossory