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Tower of St Paul in Sutri: The last ruin of a village erased by history
Approaching Sutri from the Via Cassia, one encounters a ruin standing in the middle of the fields: the Torre San Paolo, also known as the Torre degli Arraggiati (which we might call Tower of the Angry Ones). It is one of the final traces of the medieval settlement that once lay in the valley at the foot of the tuff spur, which was destroyed in the 15th century, and never rebuilt.
The destruction of the village
In July 1433, during the wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, the condottiero Niccolò Fortebraccio put the settlement to the sword (and fire). A flood in 1493 completed the devastation. Nothing remained of the hostels, taverns, and churches that once served pilgrims on the Via Francigena. Only this tower survived; it was the bell tower of the Church of St Paul, part of a Carmelite convent. The nickname "Arraggiati" (meaning "angry" in Sicilian dialect) comes from the friars. It is said they were furious because their journey from Sicily had taken much longer than expected.
The architecture
The tower dates back to the 12th-13th century. It features a rectangular ground plan, squared tuff blocks, lime mortar, and pozzolana. The portal consists of three concentric ogival arches with ribbing, resting on capitals carved with foliage, a rare surviving example of the Gothic style in the area. Behind it, glimpses of the remains of defensive walls can still be seen in the overgrowth.
