Castle of Melfi (Castello di Melfi)

Castle of Melfi

 

Location: Potenza Province Map

Constructed: 11th century

 

Description of Castle of Melfi

Castle of Melfi is located in Potenza Province in Southern Italy. Castle of Melfi was erected in the 11th century by the invading Normans that setteled here. Its strategic location and great views of mountains around this place a desirable place to live for aristocratic families. On some occasions Castle of Melfi became a center of Roman Catholic Church. Five ecumenical council were held within its walls where important theological matters were discovered by the high ranking member of the church. Furthermore Pope Nicholas II frequently visited the stronghold, spending summer months here. Today the stronghold is open to the public. Despite numerous seismic activities the walls and towers of Castle of Melfi are well preserved.

 

History
The Norman period
The origin of the castle of Melfi dates back to the end of the 11th century by the Normans, built in a strategic position that serves as a crossing point between Campania and Puglia. Its location was essential to defend itself from external attacks and as a refuge for allies. The structure was the site of "historical" events during the Norman era.

In Melfi, the capital of the county of Puglia, five ecumenical councils were held, organized by five different Popes between 1059 and 1137. In the summer of 1059, Pope Nicholas II stayed in the fortified fortress and was at the center of important events: in June he stipulated the treaty of Melfi, then, from 3 August to 25 August he celebrated the council of Melfi I and finally, with the concordat of Melfi, he recognized the possessions conquered by the Normans. The pope appointed Roberto il Guiscardo duke of Puglia and Calabria. The city of Melfi passed a shining period of history: in this circumstance it was promoted to the capital of the Duchy of Puglia and Calabria. Roberto il Guiscardo, to marry Sichelgaita of Salerno, sent his first wife Alberada di Buonalbergo into exile.

Other Synods were organized in the castle of Melfi: Pope Alexander II from 1 August 1067 presided over the council of Melfi II; he received the Longobard Prince of Salerno, Gisulfo II, and the brothers Roberto il Guiscardo and Ruggero I of Sicily. During the council of Melfi III, in 1089, Pope Urban II called the first crusade in the Holy Land, then Pasquale II in 1101 called the council of Melfi IV and finally Pope Innocent II in 1137 celebrated the council of Melfi V, the last of the series. There was also in 1130 a council of Melfi not recognized by the Church, because it was organized by the antipope Anacleto II, who established the kingdom of Sicily.

The Swabian period
With the arrival of the Swabians, Frederick II gave great importance to the castle of Melfi and made some restorations. In 1231, the manor was the place of promulgation of the constitutions of Melfi, the legislative code of the kingdom of Sicily, in which Frederick II participated together with people such as his notary Pier della Vigna and the philosopher and mathematician Michele Scoto. The structure was also a deposit for the taxes collected in Basilicata and a prison, where among the various inmates there was also the Saracen Othman of Lucera, who in 1240 was forced to pay 50 ounces of gold to the executioner of Capitanata to return to freedom. In 1232, Frederick II hosted the Marquis of Monferrato and his niece Bianca Lancia, who became his wife and with whom he had his son Manfredi. In 1241, the Swabian ruler locked two cardinals and various French and German bishops in the building, who were supposed to be part of a papal council that provided for his dismissal.

The Angevin period and subsequent periods
With the decline of the Swabians and the arrival of the new Angevin rulers, the castle of Melfi underwent massive enlargements and restorations, as well as being elected by Charles II of Anjou official residence of his wife Maria of Hungary in 1284. It was still subject to changes in the sixteenth century under the Aragonese government and became property first of the Acciaiuoli, then of the Marzano, of the Caracciolo and finally of the Doria, to which it belonged until 1950. The castle had to undergo two violent earthquakes in 1851 and 1930 but, unlike others monuments of Melfi that were severely damaged, the castle came out almost unscathed. Nowadays, the building houses the National Archaeological Museum of Melfese, inaugurated in 1976.

Structure
The castle of Melfi, having reported numerous construction phases over the course of time, has a multi-stylistic architectural form, although it has retained its purely medieval aspect. It consists of ten towers of which seven are rectangular and three are pentagonal:
Tower of the Entrance
Tower of the Banner or of the Cypresses
Tower of the Secretaria or Della Terrazza
Tower of the Lion's Bulwark
Tower of the Emperor or of the Seven Winds
Tower without a name, only the ruins remain
North East Tower or Torrita Parvula
Tower of the Prisons or of Marcangione
Church tower
Clock tower

 

The castle of Melfi consists of four entrances, of which only one is still accessible. The first, located to the north east near the Parvula Tower, was directly connected with the countryside and is currently walled; the second, also walled up and located near the Tower of the Church, opens into the rampart; the third to the southwest, near the Lion's Bulwark, was the main entrance in the Angevin era and allowed to reach the moat and the city. The fourth, the only active one, was opened by the Doria family and acts as an access to the town through a bridge, in ancient times a drawbridge. The interior, although transformed by the Doria family, between the 16th and 18th centuries, into a baronial palace, still retains some structural features in the Norman-Swabian style.

Beyond the bridge you can see an eighteenth-century portal which contains an epigraph that honors the deeds of Charles V of Habsburg and Andrea Doria. Proceeding you enter the courtyard where you can go to the stables and courtyards "dello Stallaggio" and "del Mortorio", all Angevin works made between 1278 and 1281 at the behest of Charles II of Anjou. Also in Angevin style are the "Sala del Trono" (which houses the Museum), raised on the northern side, the underlying "Sala degli Armigeri". Also worth mentioning is the "Sala delle Scodelle", the place where the constitutions of Melfi were proclaimed.