Favara
Favara castle is otherwise known as Castello dei
Chiaramonte. It is thought that Favara was an Arab settlement
originally called Fawa-warah
which means ‘water source'. The castle existed in the twelfth century when it was held by King Tancred (d.1194), unless this was Maredolce Alla Favara.
By 1296 the castle was held by
Giovanni (John) Chiaramonte (d.1339), a brother of Manfred Chiaramonte
(d.1321) of Caccamo.
He or one of his successors gave it its current name and the castle
remained with them until the
execution of Andrew Chiaramonte in 1392. During Chiaramonte rule
the population seems to have increased from about 100 to 250
inhabitants.
After the fall of the Chiaramontes, the fortress was then
sold
by King Martin (d.1409) to Raymond Moncada Peralta of Alcamo.
In 1398, he also was accused of treason, convicted and stripped of all
his property and the castle went to Emilio Perapertusa. His
successors restored the castle in 1488.
The fortress was last damaged in 1964/65 when the municipal council
altered it for its own use. These damages were repaired during a
restoration at the turn of the century.
Description
The current castle would appear to be merely the keep or inner
ward. Originally it seems to have been surrounded by an outer
wall with 4 towers at the angles. The last of these was
demolished in 1820 together with its adjoining crenellated wall.
The remains now consist of a rectangular structure approximately 80'
square with a central courtyard about 30' across. The whole has
been much altered since its completion. The main entrance to the
south consists of 2 Romanesque arches, the outer one of which has been
partially filled by a later ogival doorway. Most of the original
doorways also appear Romanesque. The rubble built walls, like the
interior, show many signs of rebuildings over the centuries, while
windows vary from single light slits to twin light Romanesque and
ogival openings.
Why not join me here and at other Sicilian
castles? Information on this and other tours can be found at Scholarly
Sojourns.
Copyright©2019
Paul Martin Remfry