The Maschio Angioino, guardian of Naples

About this activity

Since the 13th century, the imposing Maschio Angioino, with its five large cylindrical towers, has been one of the symbols of the city of Naples due to its strategic location in Piazza Municipio, in the Port area.

Why visit the Maschio Angioino

The Angevin Male is one of the best-known symbols of Naples. It is an imposing fortress that for centuries protected the city and saw the passage of kings, artists and distinguished guests. Many historical events have taken place in its halls full of priceless treasures, while fascinating legends with a medieval flavor still hover in its dungeons.

Today, the castle hosts cultural events and performances and is the permanent home of the Civic Museum, as well as the library of the Neapolitan Society of National History.

History of the Maschio Angioino, its origins as a royal residence

The Maschio Angioino, also known as the New Castle, is a medieval and Renaissance castle built at the behest of Charles I of Anjou who, after defeating the Swabians, ascended the throne of Sicily and moved the capital from Palermo to Naples.

From the beginning it was called Castrum Novum to distinguish it from the older Castel dell'Ovo and Castel Capuano. The "New" castle was built to guard the city from enemy incursions; in fact, the position in which it was built was of strategic importance and completed a defensive system that previously featured the Castel dell'Ovo, (by then too old and obsolete for the attack systems of the time) and Castel Capuano, which had been the royal residence of Naples up to that time, but in an unstrategic position and far from the sea.

Assigned the project to the French architect Pierre de Chaulnes, work on the construction of the Castrum Novum began in 1279 to be completed a very few years later, a very short time given the construction techniques of the time and the overall size of the work. However, the king never lived there: following the Sicilian Vespers revolt, which cost Angevin the crown of Sicily, (conquered by Peter III of Aragon) and other events, the new palace remained unused until 1285, the year of Charles I's death.

The new King Charles II, called the Lame, moved with his family and court to the new residence, which was enlarged and embellished by him.

A first renovation of the castle took place in 1308 under Robert the Wise, who also hosted illustrious figures of the time, such as Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio, and called the best painters, such as Pietro Cavallini and Montano d'Arezzo, to fresco the castle walls. In the same period, Giotto was also the protagonist of the decoration of the Palatine Chapel, incorporated in the heart of the castle, with the cycle of tales from the Old and New Testaments, unfortunately eliminated in the 15th century.

The fortress changed hands many times; Charles III of Durazzo took possession of it at the seizure of Naples, later leaving it to his son Ladislaus.

Alfonso the Magnanimous of Aragon, after conquering Naples in 1443, decided to reorder the structure, providing it with new defensive walls and a spectacular triumphal arch. The fortress, entrusted to the skilled hands of Majorcan architect Guillem Sagrera, took on a Gothic style.

The Castel Nuovo from the viceroyalty to the present

With the fall of Ferdinand II and Frederick I of Aragon, Naples fell to the Spanish crown, and in this way the Kingdom of Naples came to be configured as a viceroyalty. It was from that time that Castel Nuovo became a simple military garrison, losing its function as a royal residence.

In the early 16th century the castle was equipped with new ramparts and moats, signs still evident in the structure.

Castel Nuovo was again renovated by Charles Sebastian of Bourbon, who ascended the throne of Naples in 1734. With the new rulers, the castle definitely lost its role as a royal seat. The Bourbons had the construction of new royal residences begun, such as the Royal Palace or the Royal Palace of Caserta, among others.

The last substantial restoration took place in 1823 under Ferdinand I, while in the 1900s only a few aesthetic arrangements were implemented in the area surrounding the castle. In fact, the buildings that flanked the castle were demolished to make way for a garden.

The most important things to know about the Maschio Angioino

The Palatine Chapel

The Palatine Chapel is located within the perimeter of the fortress, built by the Angevins. Begun in 1307, the structure has maintained its original appearance throughout its 7 centuries of life. The chapel, or church of "St. Sebastian" or "St. Barbara," the only surviving element of the 14th-century Angevin castle, faces the harbor with its back wall, while the courtyard presents the facade, adorned with a Renaissance portico and a splendid rose window.

The structure was partly restored in the late 15th century, due to a major earthquake in 1456. The interior structure features a Gothic style, with windows illuminating the rooms and artworks. The visible paintings are attributed to the Florentine artist Maso di Banco. There are numerous sculptures housed by the chapel, such as "The Tabernacle with the Madonna and Child" by Domenico Gagini, a pupil of Donatello and Brunelleschi.

Instead, Giotto's frescoes related to an Old and New Testament cycle were destroyed in the 15th century.

The Triumphal Arch

L'Triumphal Arch, which marks the entrance to the castle, was built between 1453 and 1468, between the "di Mezzo" and "di Guardia" towers, which defend the fortress "s entrance. The work is inspired by the triumphal arches of Roman times and houses reliefs of Alfonso "s Triumphs. A lower arch features Corinthian columns, while the second surmounting arch is adorned with Ionic columns. On the attic are statues of the four virtues, surmounted by a semicircular crowning with a statue of St. Michael at the top. The arch marks an important junction of passage within the history of Italian art; the monument displays the characteristics of a stylistic ferry from Gothic to modern.

Chapel of St. Francis of Paola

The Chapel of St. Francis of Paola bears the name of the Calabrian saint precisely because it hosted him during one of his trips to Paris. It was consecrated in 1668, after a Baroque-style restoration. The 15th-century vault was designed by Guillem Sagrera, but was destroyed during World War II.

Armory Hall

The Armory Hall, located to the left of the Palatine Chapel, housed the castle's war arsenal. But the beauty of this room is due to the discovery of important archaeological finds from Roman times, ranging from the first century B.C. to the fifth century A.D., which can now be seen thanks to a glass floor.

Barons' Hall

The Hall of the Barons is the main hall of the castle. Called Sala Maior, it originated as the Throne Room and was commissioned by Robert of Anjou, who even called the artist Giotto to fresco its walls (paintings now lost). An important event gave the hall its name: some barons, who conspired against King Ferrante I, were arrested and put to death here after being deceitfully invited to the wedding of the king's niece. The hall houses the two-sided marble portal made by Domenico Gagini, with bas-reliefs depicting Alfonso V of Aragon, who wanted to renovate the castle. In addition, until 2006, the hall hosted meetings of the Naples City Council.

Chapel of the Souls in Purgatory

The Chapel of the Souls in Purgatory is probably to be identified with the 14th-century chapel of St. Martin of Tours. The room is the result of 16th-century modifications to the castle ordered by Spanish viceroys. The interior features Baroque-style decoration, with the high altar adorned with a painting of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with St. Sebastian, Pope Gregory I, and the Souls of Purgatory.

Prisons and the legend of the crocodile

In Naples every legend is history, and Castel Nuovo is also invested with a famous legend.

Below the Palatine Chapel are two rooms that were used as prisons at the time: the "Mile" prison and the "Baron's" prison. The Mile Prison was initially used as a grain store, but later it was also used to segregate prisoners sentenced to harsher punishments. At the time when this was used as a prison, it became the scene of strange happenings and disappearances, due to which vigilance was increased. Prisoners disappeared under completely mysterious circumstances.

But the dilemma was not long in coming: a large crocodile would infiltrate inside the prison and take the unfortunate inmates with it. In fact, the crocodile would penetrate through an opening in the dungeon and drag the inmates overboard by the leg after biting them. Once this was discovered, all convicts who were willing to be sent to death without too much fuss were subjected to the jaws of the reptile. Later a large poisoned horse leg was used as bait to kill the crocodile, and the reptile, once dead, was stuffed and hooked on the castle's front door.

The second room, the so-called prison of the Barons, is directly connected to the Palatine Chapel by a spiral staircase, and bears this name precisely because of the Baron conspiracy that took place in the Throne Room in 1485. Here four coffins without any inscription are presented before visitors and are probably those of the nobles who took part in the conspiracy, who later remained forever inside this dark and cramped room.

Curiosities

In the late 19th century, the subjects decided to informally call it Maschio Angioino, to remark the mightiness of its soaring towers (maschio, meaning keep), and the incisiveness that the House of D'Anjou had in the political and cultural fabric of Naples, especially for having gathered first-rate thinkers and artists from the Italian scene at the residence.

The castle was the scene of the famous abdication of Pope Celestine V and the subsequent election of Boniface VIII in 1294.