Lucera Castle
Lucera Castle | |
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Castello di Lucera | |
Lucera, Italy | |
Coordinates | 41°30′33″N 15°19′22″E / 41.509284°N 15.322881°E |
Site history | |
Built | 1233 |
Built by | Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor |
The castle of Lucera is a castle located in the municipality of Lucera, in the province of Foggia, southern Italy, dating back to the 13th century. Currently only remnants of the castle and its walls are left.
History
The construction of the castle was commissioned by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor following his decision to lead the Saracens rebels of Sicily in the town of Lucera, thus attempting to pacify the situation.
The castle was built in 1233 on the foundations of a
The material of construction was mainly acquired from the remains of Roman buildings still present in the area. The castle, in fact, lies in the same place of the acropolis of the ancient Roman city.
The complex was heavily damaged by an earthquake that struck the area in 1456, and was almost completely demolished in the 18th century to use the resulting material for the construction of the court.
This ended in the 19th century, when the first restoration works begun.
Structure
The square truncated
The Swabian castle had a normal entry at street level. The surrounding French base has no access to the street level, so was raised the question of how it was possible to access it. It has been assumed that the entry was made possible by the presence of ladders downed from above, while the most evocative hypothesis (supported by the discovery of tunnels near the castle) suggests the access from an underground entrance. The absence of a doorway, however, is significant of the strategic importance of the castle, which in this way was more difficult to conquer.
A circular 14-meter-deep cistern located under the courtyard guaranteed the water to the castle.
The irregular wall that surrounds the entire hill on which stands the castle is 900 meters long, and also consists of 13 square towers, two pentagonal bastions, 7
References
- ^ Alexander Knaak: Prolegomena zu einem Corpuswerk der Architektur Friedrichs II. von Hohenstaufen im Königreich Sizilien (1220-1250). Phil. Diss., Marburg 2001; see pp. 24ss. for the Castle of Lucera.
Sources
- Raffaele Licinio. "Lucera". Enciclopedia Federiciana. Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani.