Castello di Sant'Eusanio Forconese

Castello di Sant'Eusanio Forconese
Sant'Eusanio Forconese
Castle of Sant'Eusanio Forconese
Castello di Sant'Eusanio Forconese
Coordinates	42°17′38″N 13°31′15″E / 42.293961°N 13.520878°E
Type	Castle
Site history
Built	12th-13th century

Castello di Sant'Eusanio Forconese (Italian for Castle of Sant'Eusanio Forconese) is a Middle Ages castle in Sant'Eusanio Forconese, Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo).^[1]

History

The building has a structure of an enclosure castle to provide shelter to the population in case of danger. The presence of a tank of drinking water, however, suggests that the structure was able to provide shelter for long periods of time, in contrast to other enclosure castles the area.^[2]

Its position in the meddle of the valley of the Aterno-Pescara river, among castle of Ocre, castle of San Pio delle Camere and castle of Barisciano, made it a strategic component for the defense of L'Aquila.

Architecture

The fence has a square plant with walls connecting five semi-circular towers (between three and five meters of internal diameter) and four square towers. The walls have a thickness of about one meter and a height varying from five to seven meters. On the western side of the fence, with no natural defenses, the castle is protected by a moat.

The entrance is an arched door in a square tower, close to the church of Our Lady of the Castle, celebrated every first Sunday of August. This church was built inside the enclosure in the 17th-18th century, when the castle lost its defensive function.

References

1. Santangelo, Enrico (2002). "Il Castello di Sant'Eusanio Forconese". Castelli e tesori d'arte della Media Valle dell'Aterno (in Italian). Pescara: Carsa Edizioni. p. 86. ISBN 88-501-0051-5.
2. Latini, Marialuce (2000). "Sant'Eusanio Forconese (AQ), Il castello-recinto". Guida ai Castelli d'Abruzzo (in Italian). Pescara: Carsa Edizioni. p. 61. ISBN 88-85854-87-7.

External links