Duke of San Martino
The Duke of San Martino in a noble title created in 1682 by Charles II of Spain, in favour of Giovanni Ramondetta (1630-1690) first duke of San Martino, second son of Vincenzo Ramondetta, baron of Pardo.
Contents
History of the Ducal Family
The Ramondetta family took the name of it’s founder Raymond, lord of Miger and Tourpes, who from Emperor Frederick II , with an imperial decree of 1235, in memory of the acts of heroism performed in the Holy Land, obtained the privilege of raising the double-headed imperial eagle in his arms, who holds the standard with the Jerusalem weapons in both claws. The same document recognizes him as being of royal blood and, as such, exempts him from all taxes in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
This original claim is also attested by the Latin epigraph placed at the base of the seventeenth-century sarcophagus of Giovanni Ramondetta, Duke of San Martino (1630-1690), one of the most illustrious representatives of the family among the collateral descendants. Giovanni was buried in the Pantheon of the Illustrious of Sicily (Church of San Domenico in Palermo).
Succession to the Title
The title follows the Spanish-Sicilian noble law of succession, or male preference primogeniture, according to which, a noble title was allowed be inherited by female heirs also, if there was a lack of male heirs or if it was the decision of the head of the family.
Other branches
Various other members of the family held other titles of nobility and created their own branches, like those of the barons (and later princes) of Pardo, dukes of Fabrica, dukes of Montalbo, Marquis of San Pasquale e.t.c., with some of their descendants still alive today.
List of Dukes and Duchesses of San Martino (1682- to present day courtesy title)
- Giovanni Ramondetta (1630-1690)
- Raimondo Ramondetta (1651-1702)
- Francesco Ramondetta (1700-1767)
- Gaspare Ramondetta (1723- 1775)
- Camilla Ramondetta Giallongo (1745-1796)
- Bernardo Giallongo (1766-1810)
- Ignazio Giallongo (1784-1817)
- Giorgio Giallongo (1801-1864)
- Maria Giallongou Mastrandreou (1847-1917)
- Evangelia Mastrandreou Antonopoulou (1899-1952)
- Crystallia Antonopoulou Theocharopoulou (1934-)
- Dimostheni Theocharopoulo (1967-)
- Giorgio Mario Theocharopoulo (1996-)
Coat of Arms
