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 ...

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 ...

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

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links