Beati Paoli
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Beati Paoli is the name of a secretive sect thought to have existed in medieval Sicily. The sect, as described by the author Luigi Natoli in his historic novel I Beati Paoli (written as a series under the pseudonym William Galt in 1909, then re-published as books in 1921 and 1949 [1]), resembles an order of knights fighting for the poor and the commoners. Whereas the novel is fictitious, Sicily's history bears some evidence that the Beati Paoli actually existed.
In 1071 feudalism was introduced in Sicily by its conqueror, the Norman lord Roger II de Hauteville [2]. As the nobles started to exploit their feudal rights in the centuries to come, the Inquisition also got a foothold in Sicily. Any action by the commoners that could be interpreted by the state or the church as acts of treason or heresy was punishable by death. Such actions could be unauthorized assemblies or formation of societies with goals other than supporting the current state/church regime. In this environment, several orders and sects rose to existence - albeit a secret one. The Beati Paoli was allegedly formed to oppose both the church and the state, defending the commoners from infringements posed by the regime[3]. They wore black hooded coats and operated at night from their refuge in the remains of the catacombs and underground channels of Palermo. It is not known when the Beati Paloi was established, but the novel by Luigi Natoli sets the scene in 17th century Sicily. The origin of the name is also unknown, although some tie it to Saint Francis of Paola, or Beato Paola.
The Beati Paoli have the same connotation to many Sicilians as Robin Hood has to Northern Europeans. Some modern sources [4] suggest that the Beati Paoli was the predecessor to what today is known as the Sicilian Mafia. This has largely been brushed aside as an attempt by local mafiosi to gain popularity among Sicilians in the wake of the novel by Natoli - a novel which was very popular and became a movie in 1947, Cavalieri dalla Maschera Nera (The Black Hooded Knights).
Today you will find traces of the Beati Paoli in the Capo district of Palermo, where a square, a street and even a restaurant bear their name.
