Aragonese Castle Reggio Calabria

ARAGONESE CASTLE The Aragonese Castle of Reggio Calabria is the main fortification of the city and is located in the square of the same name. Although universally known as Aragonese”, the castle of Reggio has much older origins, Traces of a fortification of this area of the city in fact date back to times long before the construction of the castle itself. From the first post-war period to 1986 the Aragonese castle was the seat of the observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics, with a seismic and meteorological centre. In recent years the Aragonese Castle has become a space for cultural and social events.

“Although universally known as Aragonese”,

the castle of Reggio has much older origins...

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ANCIENT TIMES Today the hill on which the fortress stands is much less evident, but in antiquity it was an important point for the protection of the wall system. Most likely the ring of the palaiapolis (the palèpoli which was the archaic city founded in the 8th century B.C. by the Chaldeans) had, as the lower corner of the walls that descended from the acropolis, the very area of the present castle.In the Hellenistic period, with the enlargement of the city towards the sea, the hill remained a fortified place of considerable military importance, while the walls, which in the classical era polis towards north, they now descended to the In Roman times, during the imperial period, the walls were port; the archaeological site of the Greek probably not cured and restored, given the prosperity enjoyed by Walls on the Matteotti waterfront shows in the Empire, and the most important forts along the walls were fact the corner of the walls. abandoned to their fate.

MIDDLE AGES During the war between the Goths and the Byzantines, Belisarius entered Reggio to free it from the barbarians and found the city without fortifications, so the general immediately ordered the restoration of the walls. He could not in fact allow the city to be unguarded given the important role that the port of Reggio played in the connections between Italy and Constantinople. The lower part of the walls, which were leaning against the port, was taken again, and the hill of the castle became the corner bastion of the walls, facing the mountain. All this created a fortified center that protected the port of Reggio and all the southern Calabria. The documented existence of a real castle dates back to the year 536.

In 1059 the fortress passed from the Byzantines to the Normans and in 1266 to Carlo I d’Angiò. From the time of the Normans, who established the court, the castle was modified and expanded on several occasions.

A substantial part of the work occurred during the long reign of Federico II of Swabia, when the imperial authority had to provide for a state defensive system of the Kingdom of Sicily. The area concerned must have housed an angular fortress of the Byzantine walls, and a donjon (a tower-tower) during the Norman domination. The Swabian part of the castle of Reggio remained standing until after the earthquake of 1908, and it was a building with a square plan, with four angular towers, also of square shape.

It was restored in 1327, after the repeated wars between Angevins and Aragonese, then fortified in 1381 by Queen Giovanna I. In 1382 Carlo di Durazzo ordered the captain governor of Reggio to restore the castle with scrupulous care so that the work would be carried out by all the attendants.

«The main tower of the castle, called Magna de’Cola, surrounded by walls, and the Lombard tower were to be restored at the expenses of the Curia; the palombara tower at the expense of the Jews of Reggio; the tower of Month at the expense of the citizens of Mesa; the tower known as Santo Niceto by the inhabitants of Santo Niceto; the tower that was on the gate by the inhabitants of Amendolea; the tower, called Malerba by those of Malerba; the factories that were in the castle next to the Church at the expense of the director Curia.The Castle Church had to be restored at the expense of the Abbey of San Nicola di Calamati; the entrance of the castle gate was raised at the expense of the Abbey of Terreti. The bishop, of Bova had to, to restore the rooms where were, the kitchen and pantry; the men, of the feud of Leucio de logoteta, the oven; the Abbey of Saint George de Enchia the hall, great and finally the University of Reggio had to take care of the restoration of the barbarians. »

Old engraving of Reggio and his castle

The restorations of the castle of Reggio were in relation to the war then broke out between Carlo di durazzo and the other pretender to the Neapolitan throne Luigi d’Angiò. It also seems that Agatro Malarbi as a gerace was one of the participants in the restoration of the castle, which contributed a lot to keep Calabria calm.

Since its construction, given its strategic importance, the castle has undergone a continuous series of renovations and modifications, all aimed at adapting the defensive structure to the evolution of the besieged machines, and then gunpowder artillery.

To this end, in the Spanish era, King Ferrante had the most substantial changes made in 1458 under the direction of the works of baccio pontelli (wellknown architect and disciple of Giorgio Martini): two large crenellated towers towards the south were added and a small reveal (external artillery work) to the east; the moat was added, fed by the Orangi torrent (which flowed near the current Piazza Orange). After a first intervention, the work had to be raised several meters to allow the cannons to strike up to the Reggio suburban quarter of Rbarre.

In 1539 Pietro da Toledo increased its internal capacity so as to be able to shelter almost 1000 people, allowing to save several times the Reggini (people from Reggio) from the Turkish invasions during which the castle was used as a prison.

MODERN AGE Despite numerous interventions, the appearance of the castle remained almost unchanged from the time of Ferdinand I until it was decided to convert it into a barracks that involved the demolition of the revealing with the unification of the internal floor; During the Risorgimento the Aragonese castle became a political prison and the place of execution of the rebels.

Stamp representing the castle of Reggio, national monument.

In 1860, the city and the castle were conquered by Giuseppe Garibaldi, then with the unity of Italy and the new town development plan (drawn up in 1869), the bastion was considered a foreign body” in the new urban structure, wanting in its place to make a large square. This sparked disputes between those who wanted to demolish the castle to make disappear the last testimony of Spanish rule and those who wanted to prevent its demolition because historical monument of ancient and important memories of the city. The idea of the City of Reggio - which in 1874 bought it from the Government to demolish it - was opposed by the then Minister of Education, stating that the castle was an archaeological monument.

In 1892 the Provincial Commission of Archaeological Heritage decreed a partial demolition of the castle but with the preservation of the two towers since“Historical Monument of the city”, and five years later (in 1897) the castle was declared a national monument.

In the early years of the‘900 was used by an artillery brigade. The earthquake of 1908 damaged the oldest premises but leaving the two towers unharmed; the damage, even if minimal, of the structure meant that a decree law of the Civil Engineers of 1917 indicated the methods of demolition, but in the same year the castle was spared as a barracks.

Probably the political hatred of the Reggios towards what he had represented in recent years, prevailed the decision to overthrow the Aragonese castle, which

despite having resisted earthquakes and decrees of demolition, was deliberately mutilated from its oldest part, also in the name of a more rational urban structure. The fortress was in fact partially demolished to join the Aschenez street to the way cimino, according to the indications of the plan drawn up of mala voglia[without source] by Pietro De Nava, on the advice of’administration. The 9/10 of its structure were then demolished on several occasions, but the most significant part of the bastion was maintained: the one with the two Aragonese towers, which still stand majestically in the centre of the square.

RECENT MEMORY From the first post-war period to 1986 the Aragonese castle was the seat of the observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics, with a seismic and meteorological centre.

From 1983 to 1986 the circular hall of the southern tower of the castle was the seat of the 1991 Environmental Association Kronos, which in turn hosted the UNESCO Club of Reggio, the ENPA, and numerous cultural associations.

On 7 May 1986, due to inadequate restoration work, a part of the castle collapsed on the north-west side. Declared and with the complete renovation, the condemned, the castle, in the following years, was object Aragonese castle has become a space for of attention of the city associations to ask for its restoration. cultural and social events.

With the redevelopment of the surrounding environment,