Porta Ligny or Porta Ligne was the main
city gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway.
Uses
City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...
of the island of
Ortygia
Ortygia ( ; ; ) is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as the (Old City), contains many historical landmarks.
The name originates from the Ancient Greek (), which means " quail ...
in
Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
,
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 constructed in 1673 and demolished in 1893.
History
Porta Ligny was constructed in 1673 and it was named after
Claude Lamoral, 3rd Prince of Ligne
Claude Lamoral, 3rd Prince of Ligne, Prince of Epinoy, Marquis of Roubaix and Count of Fauquemberg (8 October 1618 – 21 December 1679), was a nobleman from the Spanish Netherlands, a soldier and diplomat in the service of Philip IV of S ...
and Viceroy of Sicily. It formed part of the fortifications of Syracuse, which at the time were being upgraded by the Flemish military engineer
Carlos de Grunenbergh, and it led towards an inner gate known as the Porta Reale or Porta Carlo V (also demolished). The fortifications were damaged during the
1693 Sicily earthquake
The 1693 Sicily earthquake was a natural disaster that struck parts of southern Italy near Sicily, then a territory part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain Calabria and Malta, on 11 January at around 21:00 local time. This earthquake was ...
, and some alterations were made to the gate during the subsequent repair work, which was also directed by Grunenbergh.

The gate and its surrounding fortifications were demolished in 1893,
in accordance with an 1890 master plan drawn up by the engineer Pandolfo.
Architecture
The gate consisted of a portal flanked by
Solomonic column
The Solomonic column, also called barley-sugar column, is a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian or Composite ...
s, and it was topped by two marble coats of arms; the one of Claude Lamoral is now preserved at the
Bellomo Palace Regional Gallery
Bellomo Palace Regional Gallery () is an art museum in Syracuse, Sicily.
Bellomo Palace
The museum is situated in the premises of Bellomo Palace. The origins of the palace have been traced to the 12th century, the time of Hohenstaufen rule of Si ...
.
See also
*
Porta Spagnola, a similar gate in Augusta which still exists
References
External links
{{commons category inline, Porta Ligny (Syracuse)
1673 establishments in the Kingdom of Sicily
1893 disestablishments in Italy
Baroque architecture in Sicily
Buildings and structures completed in 1673
Buildings and structures demolished in 1893
Buildings and structures in Syracuse, Sicily
City gates
Gates in Italy