The Castle of San Michele ( it, Castello di San Michele) ( srd, Casteddu de Santu Miali) is a medieval castle in Cagliari, the capital of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

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 ...

History

The 1990s excavations have revealed the remains of a rural church, probably of the

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

period, upon which was built the castle in the 12th century to defend the city of

Santa Igia Santa Igia or Santa Ilia, modern Santa Gilla lagoon (''Santa Ilia'' being a contraction of ''Santa Cecilia''Corrado Zedda; p. 121.), was a city in Sardinia, in what is now Italy, which existed from the 9th century AD to 1258, when it was destroyed ...

, the capital of the

Giudicato of Cagliari The Judicate of Cagliari ( sc, Judicadu de Càralis / Càlaris, it, Giudicato di Cagliari) was one of the four Sardinian ''judicates'' of the Middle Ages, kingdoms of Byzantine origins. The Judicate of Cagliari covered the entire south and centra ...

.Cagliari , castello San Michele - Sardegnacultura
/ref> The chronology however is still uncertain: the date of construction of the castle it is doubtful as it is not clear if the church, now part of the structure, had been built before or simultaneously the castle. The military complex has three towers and a moat surrounding the building. The most important period of the Castle is undoubtedly that between 14th and the 16th centuries, when it was inhabited by the Carroz family, a noble family from

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. Later it was abandoned and used as a hospital during the so-called " Plague of Saint Efisio" (1652-1656). It was again fortified for prevent French attacks in the 18th centuries. Around 1940, it was occupied by the

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...

(Italian Navy) and later become proprierty of the comune of Cagliari. The castle has undergone a substantial modifications and now is used as a Center of Art and Culture.

References

Sources

*G. Spano, ''Guida della città e dintorni di Cagliari'', Cagliari, A. Timon, 1861, pp. 366–367 *R. Carta Raspi, Castelli medioevali di Sardegna, Cagliari, 1933, p. 34; *F. Fois, "Il castello di San Michele", in'' Almanacco di Cagliari'', 1976 *G. Spiga, ''Il castello di San Michele sentinella di Santa Igia?'', Pisa, 1983 *G. Anedda, ''Il castello di San Michele a Cagliari'', Cagliari, 1984 *F. Fois, ''Castelli della Sardegna medioevale'', B. Fois (editor), Cinisello Balsamo, Amilcare Pizzi, 1992, pp. 41–47

External links

Il colle e il castello di San Michele
{{Authority control Castles in Sardinia Buildings and structures in Cagliari