Castle of Santa Lucia del Mela
Gianfranco Rappazzo - CC4.0
The castle of Santa Lucia del Mela stands on the top of the Mankarru hill, dominates the courses of the Floripotema and Mela streams, and is the main monument of the city's millenary history.
The castle has spanned the centuries , passed from the Greek-Sicilian domain, to the Roman, Byzantine, to the domain of the Islamic Emirate of Sicily and the subsequent Kingdom of Sicily under the Dynasties of the Altavilla, the Swabians, the Aragonese and finally the Viceroyalty of Sicily.
Among the main personalities who were hosted in the castle, the figure of Frederick II stands out who in this place could devote himself to hunting, his favorite pastime, thanks to the wealth of game. Far from the interference of the bishops of the neighboring dioceses, here he was able to prepare what was defined as the accursed crusade.
Renovated and enlarged by Frederick II of Aragon, often the scene of cruel and bloody events.
In the 1600s it was abandoned and later handed over to Mons. Simone Impellizzeri who carried out an impressive renovation: the quadrangular tower was demolished to make room for the construction of a Sanctuary, the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Nevi.
The primitive castle consists of the typical Norman dungeon of Anglo-French-Norman origin. the Castle presents the use of lava ashlars for decorative purposes and other volcanic material with structural functions. The structure, pentagonal in shape, has a large cylindrical tower at its base, which now houses the Seminary library, and a lower triangular tower.
The panorama that can be admired from the castle is wonderful.
