Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as Forte Sant'Angelo, is a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

Licata Licata (, ; , whence or ''Plintis''), formerly also Alicata (), is a city and ''comune'' located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River (the ancient ''Himera''), about midway between Agrigento and Gela. It is a major se ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. It was originally built as a

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

in the 1580s, and was expanded into a fort between 1615 and 1640. Today, the fort is in good condition and is open to the public. Castel Sant'Angelo is located on the top of Monte Sant'Angelo, a hill above sea level, overlooking the city to the north and its harbour to the south. Several archaeological sites, including remains of a Hellenistic settlement, can be found in the area.

History

The first fortification to be built on Monte Sant'Angelo was a

, which was constructed between 1583 and 1585 on the orders of Viceroy

Marcantonio Colonna Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was an Italian aristocrat who served as Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, general of ...

. The tower was designed by the military engineer Camillo Camilliani. In 1615, Hernando Petigno, the general commander of the Royal Cavalry of Sicily and Military Governor of Syracuse, began building a fort on the site, incorporating the tower as the fort's keep. Construction was halted, but it was resumed in 1636 and completed in 1640 under the direction of Serpione Cottone, Marquis d'Altamura. The fort never fired its guns in anger, and was decommissioned in the 19th century. It was a telegraph station between 1849 and 1856. In the early 20th century, it became a lighthouse. It was severely damaged during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

on 10 July 1943, when it was bombarded by USS ''Brooklyn'' and USS ''Buck''. The damaged parts of the fort were later repaired. The lighthouse in Castel Sant'Angelo closed in 1965, and the fort was abandoned. It was declared a historic monument on 8 July 1969, and it was restored in the 1980s. Today, the fort is in good condition and is open to the public. There are plans to turn it into a museum.

Layout

The fort has a triangular shape, with the 16th-century tower serving as its

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

. The fort is built in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

, and it includes a central courtyard, barracks, stables and warehouses. Access to the fort was only allowed through a drawbridge over a moat. The fort also contained a chapel, but this no longer exists.

References

{{commons category, Castel Sant'Angelo (Licata) Towers in Sicily Sant'Angelo Buildings and structures in the Province of Agrigento Buildings and structures completed in 1585 Buildings and structures completed in 1640 Military installations closed in the 19th century Baroque architecture in Sicily Telegraph stations 1640 establishments in the Kingdom of Sicily