GIRGENTI (anc. Agrigent'um, q.v.)  , a town of Sicily, capital of the province which bears its name, and an episcopal see, on the south coast, 58 m . S. by E. of Palermo direct and 841 m. by rail . Population (1901) 25,024 . The town is built on the western summit of the ridge which formed the northern portion of the ancient site; the main street runs from E. to W. on the level, but the side streets are steep and narrow . The cathedral occupies the highest point in the town; it was not founded till the 13th century, taking the place of the so-called temple of Concord . The campanile still preserves portions of its original architecture, but the interior has been modernized . In the chapter-house a 'famous sarcophagus, with scenes illustrating the myth of Hippolytus, is preserved . There are other scattered remains of 13th-century architecture in the town, while, in the centre of the ancient city, close to the so-called oratory of Phalaris, is the Norman church of S . Nicolo . A small museum in the town contains vases, terra-cottas, a few sculptures, &c . The port of Girgenti, 5i m . S.W. by rail, now known as Porto Empedocle (population in 1901, 11,529), as the principal place of shipment for sulphur, the mining district beginning immediately north of Girgenti .

(T .