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Castronovo di Sicilia Castle

Castronovo di Sicilia Castle stands on the San Vitale hill, 750 meters above sea level. Until the Byzantine era, the fortress stood at the foot of Mount Kassar and was surrounded by a large moat. Later it was built on the hill where the vestiges can still be admired today.

The origins of the castle are in fact lost far in time, that is to the time of Roger I who had it built in 1077, near the pre-existing castle with which, it is said, communicated by means of an underground road.

At the end of the 13th century, the Genoese Corrado I Doria, admiral of Sicily, was lord of the land of Castronovo, to whose dynasty he belonged until 1370. In 1302 the castle of Castronovo is remembered because it became the headquarters of Frederick II of Aragon who here began the negotiations that led to the peace of Caltabellotta with Charles of Valois, captain general of Charles II of Anjou.

In 1375 the count of Castronovo was Manfredi III Chiaromonte, who was responsible for the expansion of the castle. In 1391 in Castronovo the oath of the barons was held against Martino the Younger of the Counts of Luna, who in July of that year ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Sicily.

In 1411 at the Castle of Castronovo, which at that time was owned by the baron Matteo Moncada, the queen of Sicily, Bianca daughter of the king of Navarre Charles III, found refuge. In 1423 the noble Moncada was succeeded by his son Guglielmo Raimondo, who was responsible for the restructuring of the castle.

Of the ancient Castle of Castronovo today there are still a few legible ruins left. The architectural complex developed on an irregular plan and included a cylindrical tower and a cistern with a vaulted roof, carved into the rock.

The thickness of the walls is modest being about one meter. These were made with calcareous stones of different sizes, covered with fragments of tile and tied with mortar.

The entrance to the Castle of Castronovo was from the southern side, almost certainly via a drawbridge. Among the ruins of the castle you can see the remains of the Church of Giudice Giusto, a small Norman jewel with apses decorated with frescoes.

Map: Castronovo di Sicilia Castle