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), resembles an order of chivalry fighting for the poor and the commoners.
[1] They wore black hooded coats and operated at night from their refuge in the remains of the catacombs and underground channels of Palermo.
Today, traces of the Beati Paoli can be found in the Capo district of Palermo, where a square, a street and a restaurant bear their name.
A Maltese old saying -"qala' xebgħa tal-beati pawli", meaning "he was beaten up badly (the Beati Paoli way)", may refer to this old sect .
[citation needed] Written by prolific author and journalist Luigi Natoli, "I Beati Paoli" was at first released split into 239 episodes, published between 6 May 1909 and 2 January 1910 by the daily newspaper Il Giornale di Sicilia.
[3] Divided into four main parts, the historical fiction novel tells the story of the conflict between on the one hand an evil, greedy and ambitious Don Raimondo Albamonte, a Sicilian aristocrat, duke of Motta, and the main antagonist of the book, and, on the other hand, the sect of Beati Paoli, an amorphous, secret and when necessary violent organization of individuals committed to punish Don Raimondo for his crimes.
[5] Sicilian mafiosi love to portray themselves as the successors of the Beati Paoli, and Cosa Nostra likes to trace its origin to the sect.