The Castle of Sant'Aniceto (also San Niceto) is a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

castle built in the early 11th century on a hill in

Motta San Giovanni Motta San Giovanni is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southeast of Reggio Calabria. In antiquity it had the Greek toponym ''Leucopetra ...

, now in the

province of Reggio Calabria The Province of Reggio Calabria ( it, Provincia di Reggio Calabria) was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capital ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is one of the few examples of High Middle Ages architecture in Calabria, as well as one of the few well-preserved Byzantine fortifications in the world. The name derives from that of St. Nicetas, a Byzantine admiral who lived in the 7th-8th centuries. left, 200px, Towers of the Castle of Sant'Aniceto

History

The castle is a Norman building built in the early 11th century on a hill in

. In the 13th century the castle became the command center of the flourishing fief of Sant'Aniceto (which included Motta San Giovanni and Montebello). Two centuries later, entered in conflict with

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, and in 1459 it was destroyed by Alfonso of Calabria.

Architecture

The castle has an irregular plan, which reminds that of a ship with the bow directed towards the mountains and the aft to the sea. Nest to the entrance are two square towers. At the feet of the short steep path leading to the plain below is a small church, which has a frescoed dome portraying the Christ Pantokrator, a typical subject of Byzantine Art. The height of the well-preserved walls varies from 3 to 3.5 meters, and they are some one meters thick.

References

* * * {{Coord, 38, 01, 37, N, 15, 42, 27, E, source:dewiki_type:landmark_region:IT-RC_dim:25, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Sant'Aniceto Buildings and structures in the Province of Reggio Calabria Byzantine forts Tourist attractions in Calabria