Castello di Avella

The Castello di Avella, also known as Castello di San Michele, is a ruined castle from the 7th century in Avella in the Italian region of Campania.

Even though the first documented mention of the Castello di Avella dates back to the 9th century, when the building was subjected to various attacks by the Saracens, such as in 883, it was already built in the 7th century by the Lombards and dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The role of the castle on the top of a hill was to control the neighboring border between the Duchy of Naples and the Principality of Capua, as well as the connecting road between the plain of Campania and the Adriatic Sea in Apulia. Furthermore, there are few records of activities around this castle from that period, only those concerning a village protected by a defensive wall. With the conquest of Avella by the Byzantines from Naples around 887, Landolfo, whom 'Guaimario I of Salerno' had entrusted with the command of the castle, was captured. With the arrival of the Normans in the 11th century, the castle was rebuilt by the incorporation of a keep and the addition of a second defensive wall, which also led to the expansion of the settlement. The first feudal lord is attested for the year 1087, namely "Aldoyno, Count of Abelle and one of Abersano's soldiers", who presumably belonged to the Mosca family. This family retained control of the castle throughout the Norman period: Riccardo d'Avella, who was murdered in 1256 during a siege of the castle, and his son, Rainaldo IV d'Avella, who came into close contact with the House of Anjou in Naples, are worth mentioning; the Mosca dynasty died out in 1371 with the death of Francesca. In the 15th century, the castle fell to the Orsinis. During this period, it was devastated by two earthquakes, in 1456 and 1466. The castle fell into disrepair until it was described in 1529 as:

“Forteleza con una terraiunta disabitata; sobre un monte sta el castello, mal tratado dunque antiguamente era bello y grande.“ (Eng.: Fortress with uninhabited territory; on a mountain stands a castle, badly treated, although it was formerly beautiful and large).

This crisis situation did not change until the arrival of the Colonnas in 1534. After several changes of ownership, the castle fell to the Spinellis. Carlo Spinelli had it restored in 1553. The last active phases extended over the period between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. The castle housed only a prison and an apartment for the castellan. In 1603 it was described as:

“Vi è (...) sopra un monte dalla parte di occidente lo castello con la cittadella e palazzo (...) nel quale vi è una torre grande con cortiglio. Una sala con otto camere in piano e molta altra comodità. Questa cittadella è murata con dodici altre torrette attorno dette mura per combattere e dentro vi sono da circa cento fochi distrutti e disabitati. Vi è anco la Parrocchia e cisterna grandissima, nella quale al presente vi è acqua freddissima, lo quale castello è fatto con grande artificio con mura altissime e grossissima spesa (...) vi sta lo castellano e vi si ponevano li carcerati di mala vita.“ (Eng.: There is (...) on a mountain on the west side the castle with the citadel and palace (...) in which there is a large tower with a courtyard. A hall with eight rooms on the level and many other amenities. This citadel is walled with twelve other turrets around the said defensive wall for combat and inside there are about one hundred destroyed and uninhabited hearths. There is also the parish and a very large cistern, in which there is currently very cold water, this castle was built with great [craftsmanship] with a very high wall and enormous expense (...) there is a castellan and the prisoners were housed in the underworld.)

The eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 ended the use of the castle, which was partially demolished for the construction of the new town center of Avella further down.