Castello di Bivona

This article is about the castle in Bivona, Sicily. There is another castle of the same name in Vibo Valentia.
Castello di Bivona
Part of the walls of Bivona
Bivona, Sicily, Italy

Ruins of the Castello di Bivona

Map of the Castello di Bivona
Coordinates 37°37′10.4″N 13°26′22.5″E / 37.619556°N 13.439583°E / 37.619556; 13.439583
Type Castle
Area c. 1,700 m2 (18,000 sq ft)
Site information
Owner Public
Open to
the public
No
Condition Ruins
Site history
Built 14th century
Fate Partially destroyed, 1529
Battles/wars Secondo caso di Sciacca

The Castello di Bivona was a castle in the town of Bivona, Sicily. It was built in the 14th century, and it was partially destroyed when it was sacked in 1529. The castle is now in ruins, and a few remains can still be seen.

History

The first reliable evidence of feudalism in Bivona dates back to 11 October 1299, when Robert of Anjou, the King of Naples, granted the castles of Bivona and Calatamauro to Giacomo de Catania. The castle mentioned in this decree was probably a watchtower which had been built as part of the walls of Bivona around the time of the War of the Sicilian Vespers.[1]

Eventually, the castle began to be built in the first half of the 14th century. In 1359, Guido and Francesco Ventimiglia almost destroyed it, but it was rebuilt within the same year by Corrado Doria. The land and castle of Bivona was passed to Nicholas Peralta in 1397. In 1406, it belonged to Francesco Castellar.[2]

The castle was looted and partially destroyed in 1529, during the Secondo caso di Sciacca, a conflict between the de Luna and Perollo noble families.

Today, the castle is in ruins. Some parts of it are embedded in structures of a later period.[2]

Layout

The layout of the castle has been determined from old maps of Bivona. Its dimensions were as follows, giving it an area of around 1,700 m2 (18,000 sq ft):[3]

A description of the castle is found in the Atti della Città di Palermo of 1892 by Fedele Pollaci Nuccio and Domenico Gnoffo.[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bivona castle.
  1. 1 2 Sedita, Giovan Battista (1909). Cenno storico-politico-etnografico di Bivona (in Italian). Bivona. pp. 32–35.
  2. 1 2 "Castello di Bivona". castelli-sicilia.com (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. Midulla, Salvatore (1981). Bivona, le origini e prime vicende storiche (in Italian). Bivona: Biblioteca Comunale di Bivona. p. 25.
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