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The Cardinal Giovanni Colonna, for his merit conquered during
the Crusade against Onorio III (1216-1227) had the pope’s
permission, in 1221 to build the imposing 1200-meter-long and
10-metre-thick enclosure walls. This defensive structure still
visible is almost intact notwithstanding the buildings leaned
against it, built during the following centuries. It had two
gates, the southern and the principal gate, called “gate
of the Castle” or “Capocroce” and the northern
one called “Marmorelle”, which was used also as
an emergency exit. Within the ‘Castrum’ the cardinal
ordered the construction of a fortified tower with a double
function: it was both a sighting and a bell tower.
At a certain distance from the walls the cardinal ordered also
the construction of numerous palaces destined to a personal
use and of some buildings for his vassals. The church built
as an integral part of the walls represented both a religious
symbol against invaders and a sacral extension of the walls
exerting terror to those, which tried to climb the walls.
The constructing materials for the walls and the buildings
were taken from the nearby quarries of Laghetto and Pantano.
More then 10 years were necessary to end the walls’ building
works (1223-1235) and the total expenditure of 30.000 pounds
of denari provenzali was an incredible sum of money for that
time.
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