Castle Rotondo is a fortress castle in Kaštel Štafilić, Croatia, on the

Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

. It was fully constructed in 1508, on the order of Stefano Štafileo, a Trogirian nobleman. Stafileo ordered its construction in 1508 to protect his lands and the Kozjak's peasants from the Ottomans pillaging. It is situated by a beautiful sea cliff. Parallel to the castle, there is a fortified renaissance house, where there is the Stafileo's family crest, engraved with a bunch of grapes. The grapes are a visual translation of the Štafileo name, which means bunch of grapes in Greek. The crest symbolizes wine making, and the future. There is also an inscription in Latin above the castle gate, which states the original purpose behind the Castle's construction. The southern residential wing of the house has a water gate that still exists today.

Origin of the name

Castle Rotondo is named after the noble family, ' Rotondo' that resided in it for over 400 years. Prior to this, it was 'Castle Štafileo'.

History

The first owner, and builder, Stefano Štafileo arrived from Crete, Greece, and married a woman from Trogir. He became a well-respected resident of Trogir with houses and residences all over town. Stefano's son was Bishop of the diocese of Sibenik, Archdiacon in Trogir, a doctor in law, lecturer in Rome, the papal legate, diplomat, Croatian Latinist, and later, Polish nobility. Ivan was a diplomat to Pope Leo X, handled the divorce of King Henry VIII of England, and

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

. Was baptized by the French king

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

in 1519. The King of Poland,

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old ( pl, Zygmunt I Stary, lt, Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...

, gave Ivan a title, and a priceless painting. The painting can be found today in the church of Kaštel Štafilić.

Function

The Castle functioned as a Fortress, where it protected villagers from invading Turkish occupiers.

Size

The Castle has an area of 1,127 m², with a ground floor, and three higher floors,

References

{{reflist Castles in Croatia Buildings and structures in Split-Dalmatia County