Castel Sant'Elmo
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2012) ) |
Castel Sant'Elmo | |
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Naples, Italy | |
Coordinates | 40°50′38″N 14°14′20″E / 40.843815°N 14.239005°E |
Site information | |
Owner | Comune di Napoli City of Naples |
Controlled by | Napoli Beniculturali Naples Ministry of Culture |
Open to the public | Yes |
Condition | Good |
Site history | |
Built | 1200s (first building) 1537 (today's building) |
Built by | ? (1200s building)
Don Pedro de Toledo (1537 fortress) |
In use | Still in use today |
Materials | Tuff |
Castel Sant'Elmo is a medieval fortress located on Vomero Hill adjacent to the Certosa di San Martino, overlooking Naples, Italy. The name "Sant'Elmo" derives from a former 10th-century church dedicated to Sant'Erasmo, shortened to "Ermo" and, finally altered to "Elmo". Located near the upper terminus of the Petraio, one of the city's earliest pedestrian connections between upper and lower Naples, the fortress now serves as a museum, exhibition hall, and offices.
History
Documents date a structure at the site from 1275, from the era of
Attanasio Primario and Francesco di Vico then directed construction. By 1348 documents refer to the building as castrum Sancti Erasmi, probably because a chapel dedicated to Saint Erasmus was originally located on the site. The Angevin fortress was severely damaged in an earthquake in 1456, which demolished the external walls and the towers.
The
In fact, with its double tenaille, numerous embrasures in the bastions and high walls surrounded by a moat, the castle was admirably suited to the topography of the site and the strategic and defensive functions. In 1538 a commemorative inscription was placed above the entrance gate, surmounted by Charles V's coat of arms and the two-headed Imperial eagle.
The castle served as an autonomous military outpost, with a governor who had absolute authority over both military and civilian matters. Around the parade grounds were situated the officers' quarters, chaplain's house, a church (1547) designed by the Spanish architect Pietro Prato, and the surviving buildings from the Angevin Belforte. Don Pedro de Toledo's funerary monument (1588) is found in the sacristy of the church.
In 1587 the munitions depot of the castle was struck by lightning, and exploded, destroying the church, the chaplain's house and the officers' quarters. Reconstruction was carried out between 1599 and 1601 under the architect
Present
It continued to be military property until 1976, when a large restoration project was undertaken by the provincial authority of the Provveditorato alle Opere Pubbliche of Campania. In seven years the original castle was freed of centuries of accretions, and made structurally sound, recreating the original galleries, parapet walkways and underground chambers, where an auditorium seating 700 has been created. In 1982 the site was handed over to the Soprintendenza per i Beni Artistici e Storici of Naples, and the Bruno Molajoli Art History Library was installed in an upper story of the old prison block.
The former Marine headquarters now houses the castle administration and some administrative offices for Naples, including the Catalogue Office, Photographic Archives and the Thefts Office.
There are now several permanent art exhibits in the castle, including a railing more than 30 feet long carrying an braille inscription, installed in 2015 above the drill grounds on the northernmost wall of the castle near the west corner. Two other installations include a large metal helmet near the railing and a conical metal sculpture, approximately 15 feet in diameter at the bottom, with cutouts in the drill grounds.
Sources
- Fiorentino, Katia (2000). Spinosa, Nicola (ed.). Castel Sant'Elmo. Naples: Ministero per i Beni e le Attivita Culturali.
- A handbook for travellers in southern Italy By John Murray (Firm), page 99-100. 1883.