Of all the castles built in Sicily, the fortified constructions of Frederick II
constitute the most homogeneous and representative series of such
buildings, whose original purposes were strategic and defensive yet
reflect the life of a society and an age which in addition to military
considerations was also inspired by the rich and fertile culture which
Ferdinand promoted throughout his intense reign.
Castello di Lombardia - Enna
Absolute monarch of his empire, Frederick dispossessed the feudal lords
of their fortified dwellings, which, having become crown property, were
enlarged and altered by his engineers and transformed into impregnable
fortresses for the exercise of local power. A number of imposing castles
were thus built which reflected not only defensive needs but also the
spiritual inspiration of the principles of Cistercian monasticism, the
order founded by Bernard of Chiaravalle and dear to the king.
Through this rigorous school, which
excluded all vanity in art for the greater benefit of the spreading of
knowledge that might help to explain the mysteries of the universe, the
castles of King Frederick, externally fortified citadels on the outside
but spacious and bright inside, are the symbolic image of the will and
the principles of absolute power which marked the Emperor's spirit and
characterized his reign.
In 1229, on his return from a Crusade in
the east, the Emperor initiated his vast program of defensive
architecture, creating in eastern Sicily the most homogeneous group of
"castri regia", constructed ex nihilo by the "protomagistri regi", of
whom the most celebrated was Richard of Lentini.
The castles of Augusta, Syracuse and Milazzo were quickly built,
together with the Castello Ursino in Catania. The castles of Enna, Terranova (Gela) and Scaletta Zanclea rose in central and western Sicily.
Castello Ursino - Catania
(photo by D. Santonocito)
These have in common the feature of
extreme regularity in their square design, similar to fortified
architecture of the same period in northern Tunisia and Persia, which
Frederick and his architects never actually saw.
The similarity would seem to be due to the
common model of the Roman castrum. The design of the interior spaces is
however completely new, though to a large extent inspired by Cistercian
monastery architecture. The castles on the coast present some variations
from these models: at Augusta and Milazzo the towers are quadrilateral
towers, while at Catania and Syracuse they are circular.
Castel Maniace in Syracuse is the only one to have an inner courtyard, in which sixteen
cross-ribbed pillars create an atmosphere of unreality, augmented by the
light falling from above and through the windows.
Castel Maniace - Syracuse
Enna Castle, known as Castello di Lombardia (Lombardy Castle) because it stood near the site of a colony of Lombards,
was entirely restructured by the Emperor.
It towers above the surrounding buildings
and looks towards Frederick's Tower a mile away.
This building, a
hunting lodge for the frequent hunting expeditions in the forests of the
hinterland, is the finest example of an octagonal tower, surrounded by a
wall of similar geometrical design.
Frederick II
Frederick II of Swabia, 1194–1250, Holy
Roman emperor (1220–50) and German king (1212–20), king of Sicily
(1197–1250), and king of Jerusalem (1229–50), son of Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI and of Constance, heiress of Sicily. Frederick II was educated
in Palermo and his magnificently hegemonic multi-shaped and eminent
personality in the 13th century stood out, in the culture and troubled
political life of the time. De Stefano, the historian, considers him
bold, clever, medieval, modern; certainly he is the most dramatic
personage of the 13th century.
The Kingdom of Sicily with Palermo its
prestigious capital, became a hub of organization, science and the arts
that was, for many years to illuminate the consciousness of the European
peoples. This great king's death marked the beginning of the end of Swabian rule.
