This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
Baronial Castle of Maenza: the fortress that hosted St Thomas Aquinas
At 360 metres above sea level, in the Lepini Mountains, the Baronial Castle of Maenza overlooks the village and the Mezzagosto Valley. It was here that in 1274 St Thomas Aquinas stopped by, taken ill. Shortly before his death, the miracle of the herrings took place.
From fiefdom to public property
Initially, the castle was little more than an enclosure with a watchtower. The first lords were the Da Ceccano family, an ancient feudal dynasty that ruled over the village. They were followed by the De Cabannis and the Caetani families. Put up for auction in the mid-1960s, it was purchased by the Province of Latina, which oversaw its restoration.
From Romanesque to Baroque
The castle grew gradually from the year 1000, passing through different architectural periods, from Romanesque to Baroque. The massive structure was built in local stone, with a nearly square quadrangular plan, four levels, and four towers: three quadrangular towers having a defensive purpose, and one semicircular tower — now inaccessible — that functioned as a cistern. There are low arcades and Romanesque round arches, the pointed Gothic arch of the main entrance, the circular keep, and Renaissance fireplaces. The old Guelph merlons still stand on the northwestern and northeastern sides.
Rediscovered frescoes
The walls were once covered with decorative paintings. During the restoration completed in 2001, ten panels of grotesque frescoes were recovered from beneath the whitewash on the second level. The third level comprises the Room of St Thomas, the Aldobrandini coat of arms above the doorway, and a decorated fireplace.
