Castel del monte castle Mysterious castle of castel del monte

Castel del Monte is rightfully called the Crown of Puglia. Its octagonal shape, no corridors, octagonal towers, octagonal courtyard and fountain all suggest a secret message. To whom and from whom? Why did the owner of the castle, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, wear a ring decorated with a faceted emerald with eight gold petals on his right hand?

Death of the Emperor

At the end of November 1250, during another hunt in the forests of his beloved Apulia, Frederick II suddenly felt a strange weakness and pain in his stomach. Soon the pain and fever became unbearable and the emperor ordered to stop halfway, in an exquisite domus area(now - Torremaggiore). This place became the last refuge for the emperor: dysentery slowly burned the weakened body and on December 13 the light went out in his eyes. It was rumored that the emperor was poisoned by his illegitimate son, Manfred ...

The emperor's castle took 10 years to build. Its geometrically intricate design is still the subject of debate. Emperor Frederick II, as you know, being an educated person and a philanthropist, created a mathematical school at the court, in the work of which the great Fibonacci took part.

However, the castle-palace, so unusual for Puglia, fits well into the symbolism of faith: the octagon is a symbol of resurrection and rebirth. Ancient religious temples often included architectural compositions in the form of a square (rectangular base), over which a sphere or circle is located: the square is a symbol of the earthly, and the circle represents the sky. Between them there was sometimes a transitional figure of an octagon, which could symbolize the position of a person. Suffice it to recall the ancient basilicas and baptisms of the 4th century. (baptisteries), a similar form of which emphasized the importance of baptism as an act of man's union with God, temporary with the eternal.

It is known that Frederick II, being in Jerusalem, was delighted with the view of the Dome of the Rock sanctuary on the Temple Mount. The Aachen Chapel, in which the emperor was crowned, also has an octagonal shape. Even the addition of the numbers of the date of death of the emperor (1250) gives the magic number 8. If this is not enough, then we can add that Frederick II wore an eight-pointed crown.

Castle or fortress?

The castle was faced with marble - a very unusual application of a noble stone in defensive construction for those times. The castle was not protected by a moat and earthen rampart. There are no storage facilities for ammunition, there is nothing to remind that the defenders were preparing for a siege. Even the spinning of spiral staircases did not comply with the rule of freedom of the right hand in defense. The loopholes are absent, and the windows of the castle are too large, which could easily be used as a weak point if one wanted to set fire to the building from the outside. Such ostentatious frivolity can be taken as a message: Frederick II was not afraid of anyone, although he had many enemies.

A few members of the imperial retinue were in Castel del Monte. The location of the castle on the top of the hill made it possible to control the entire area. Only trusted and trusted persons could approach the castle, and the servants consisted not of local peasants and artisans, but of residents of the remote towns of Monopoli, Bitonto and Bitetto. This means that secret meetings could take place outside the walls of the castle, unusual religious rituals or alchemical experiments could be carried out.

Alchemy

It is quite possible that experiments on metal transformation were carried out in the castle. The small fireplaces in the chateau rooms were not suitable for receiving large numbers of guests and lavish banquets. But they were perfect for heating reagents, and the strategic position of the castle did not allow outsiders to smell the unusual smell of burning. The niches could well accommodate distillers and furnaces for heating.

In the castle at night, daring experiments were carried out to transmute the despicable metal into gold and secret searches for the fifth indestructible substance. The castle was quite suitable for experiments and occult practices. It is noteworthy that the emperor's retinue included none other than Michele Scoto- astrologer, magician, fortuneteller - one of the theorists of alchemy. The treatises of this scholar brought good dividends to the emperor. Especially the one that describes the conversion of copper to silver.

The desire to improve matter, inherent in alchemists of the 13th - 17th centuries, gave rise to a wave of charlatanism and outright speculation. Very often these studies were done at the request of wealthy and enterprising sponsors.

Castel del Monte undoubtedly deserves the attention of not only specialists. According to numerous testimonies of tourists, when visiting the castle, there is a strange feeling of uneasiness. The walls radiate unusual energy and sometimes it seems that you are completely immersed in the distant world of the 13th century with all its passions, cruelty, naivety and quirks.

The castle is under the protection of UNESCO. Since 1996, it has become part of the historical sites protected by the World Heritage Fund.

How to get to Castel del Monte

The castle is located in the commune of Andria, province of Bari.

By car:

On the A motorway 14 Bologna - Taranto

From the A 16 Bari - Naples motorway, exit at: Andria-Barletta S.S. 170.

Gallery of images of the castle of Castel del Monte

The majestic Castel del Monte is one of the most famous landmarks Italian region Apulia. Moreover, it will not be an exaggeration to say that this is one of the most mysterious castles in the world.

Unlike others mystical places, amazing castle not hidden from prying eyes behind the mountains and forests. On the contrary, it is visible from afar. You drive along the freeway and see, here he is, handsome, towering on top of the hill. It doesn't matter that the name of the building is translated as “castle on the mountain”, only those who have never seen real mountains in their life can literally take the name Castel del Monte. It was built on a castle on the very place where the Maria del Monte monastery was located until the thirteenth century, hence the first name of the building, which few people remember today - castrum Sancta Maria de Monte.

Photo: view of Castel del Monte

Today, the crowd of people does not dry up to Castel del Monte. Thank you very much for this the magical world film and the Italian director Matteo Garrone in particular, because it was in the unusual halls of this monumental structure that he settled the characters - the king who raised the flea, and the princess whom the eccentric father married to the cannibal. Curiously, until the twentieth century, the castle was in an abandoned state, and shepherds spent the night there. Today architectural structure is in the care of UNESCO, as a result, it was washed and put in order, but the interior decoration of the halls was not preserved - the same Matteo Garrone had to hastily fill the space of the premises with the props brought to the castle.

In the photo: shooting of the film "Scary Tales"

Garrone chose Castel del Monte for the film adaptation of the tales of the Neapolitan Giambattista Basile for a reason, because this place is incredibly mysterious. Although located 16 kilometers from the city of Andria, Castel del Monte bears the honorary title of one of the most famous medieval castles in the world, in essence it is not a castle.

Shot from the movie "Scary Tales", the princess and the king on the roof of the castle

The fact is that in the understanding of a normal person of the Middle Ages, a castle could be built only for one of two purposes. The first goal, it is also the main one - defense and control of the terrain. In this case, one or another lord erected a small fortress, as a rule, on the top of a mountain, helping to repel enemy attacks, and at the same time, in general, to influence the situation in the region. The second challenge is a fortified place to live. Sometimes castles grew to the size of cities, take, for example, well, and their powerful walls, again, made it possible to hold back hordes of enemies.

But Castel del Monte is not intended for defense at all. Where are the walls and the moat with water? Where are there any decent defenses? This place also seems to be of little use for life. Of course, even Walter Scott in his "Ivanhoe" wrote that the concept of "comfort" did not exist in the Middle Ages, but this castle, even by medieval standards, is far from the home of a self-respecting lord. It's okay that all the halls inside are connected to each other, but, most importantly, there is no place for a stable and there is no kitchen. So, most of all, the castle resembles a kind of old art object, built for the sake of ideas, such houses are sometimes designed by modern architects who have received an absolute carte blanche to implement their creative ideas in conjunction with an unlimited budget.

This association is very appropriate if you know who built Castel del Monte. The castle on the mountain was built by the emperor Frederick II Staufen himself - a legendary person in all respects. He not only managed to win the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from competitors and lead the sixth crusade, but was also considered one of the most educated people of his time. He knew Greek, Latin and Arabic, founded a university in Naples, where not only Christians, but also Jews and Arabs taught, and this, by the way, is the height of tolerance by medieval standards. Frederick II as a whole was very far from Christian prejudices, here are illustrative examples: the emperor insisted that doctors study anatomy on corpses, and Frederick also had a warm attitude towards Fibonacci and even organized mathematical tournaments.

Photo: engraving depicting Frederick II

The emperor also had a penchant for writing: he is credited with writing an essay on falconry, and at his court he created a Sicilian school of poetry. At the same time, like all progressive people of his time, Frederick II was an admirer of a wide variety of mystical teachings, he studied astronomy and astrology. With the personal life of the emperor, everything was also interesting, he earned the reputation of Bluebeard, since he was married four times, however, the church did not recognize his last marriage with his permanent mistress Bianca Lancia. Frederick II gave birth to a great many children - 20 legitimate, but for obvious reasons, no one scrupulously counted the bastards.

Castel del Monte was built by Frederick II from 1240 to 1250, that is, in the last decade of his life. The name of the architect is unknown, but many historians, not without reason, believe that he was the emperor himself - a painfully intricate design turned out as a result. The fact is that, like many medieval mystics, Frederick was obsessed with the number eight, which symbolizes infinity, and it is constantly traced in the structure of the castle.

To begin with, the castle, when viewed from above, is a regular octagon, and an octagonal tower is erected at each corner of the structure. The shape of the inner courtyard of the castle also repeats the octagon. The castle has only two floors, the roof is flat, and the main entrance in Castel del Monte, it looks strictly to the east, because, as it was believed in the Middle Ages, the good news came to us from the east.

In the photo: windows overlooking the courtyard of the castle

There are 8 rooms on each floor of the castle, all of them are connected to each other, so that Castel del Monte can be easily walked around the perimeter. The rooms are made in the form of trapeziums, and windows have been cut through the walls. Toilets, wardrobes and spiral staircases are located in the corner turrets. By the way, the castle has a separate story with the stairs - usually in all the castles they are "twisted" to the right, since this is optimal for the defense of the object, but in Castel del Monte, on the contrary, they are "turned" to the left, that is, as it does nature, because it is to the left that the shells of mollusks or snail shells are twisted.

Photo: stairs in Castel del Monte

All rooms of the castle are exactly the same, the rooms differ from each other only in the location of the doors and the number of windows. In the decorative elements, the number eight again dominates: on the capitals of the columns there are eight leaves each, on the bas-reliefs in the rooms there are eight leaves or clover flowers.

Another interesting thing is that direct rays of sunlight fall into the windows of the second floor twice a day (with the first floor, this rule works only in summer period), so many assume that the mysterious castle is nothing more than a huge sundial, and at the same time an astronomical device. In addition, twice a year during the summer and winter solstice, sunlight is evenly distributed among all rooms on the ground floor. This, of course, is also no coincidence, so many historians suggest that the first floor of Castel del Monte is a kind of analogue of the solar calendar.

You could calm down here, but here's another curious reason for thinking - twice a year, on April 8 and October 8, the sun's rays pass through the windows of the castle into the courtyard in such a way that they fall strictly on the part of the wall where in the time of Frederick II, a certain bas-relief was carved, now lost. Well, and to make everything quite difficult, it is worth remembering that October in the thirteenth century was considered the eighth month of the year.

Frederick II died before he could finish the construction of the castle - the building of Castel del Monte was completed, but the interior decoration was not completed to the end. After the death of the emperor, there were legends in Europe that Frederick did not die, but disappeared in an unknown direction in order to reform the church and establish universal brotherhood and peace. A certain symbolism is seen in this, because the octagon, repeated in the structure of Castel del Monte, in the Middle Ages symbolized the transition from the world of the living to the kingdom of the dead, and at the same time the unity of heaven and earth.

Everything is very simple here - the square was considered a symbol of the earth, the circle was a symbol of the sky, and the octagon was an intermediate figure that signified both unity and transition. However, scientists far from mysticism believe that the repeated use of the octagon is simply a reference to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, because Frederick II saw the dome over the cornerstone during his crusade.

Encrypted in Castel del Monte and biblical symbols. The fact is that there are exactly five drainage basins and five fireplaces in the castle, many associate this with the phrase of the Baptist John from the Gospel of Luke: “I baptize you in water for repentance, but the One who follows me is stronger than me; I am not worthy to bear His shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. " So, it is easy to assume that Castel del Monte was for Frederick II an analogue of the temple, erected according to his personal project, and this fully meets the ambitions of the emperor.

By the way, this hypothesis is confirmed by another curious detail. If you look closely at the entrance to the castle, you can see the giant letter F encrypted there. If inside the tomb of Frederick II, associations with the pyramids would be inevitable, and so Castel del Monte seems to be a kind of personal portal of the emperor, erected according to his plan and in his honor. At least, when you stand in the courtyard of the castle and, with your head raised, look at the sky, imprisoned in an octagon of powerful limestone walls, even the most inveterate materialists have a feeling of belonging to the medieval magical tradition. And the energy of this place is special, in the style of those "Scary Tales" by Matteo Garrone.

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the site project. In the past, the chief editor of the internet project elle.ru and the chief editor of the website cosmo.ru. I'm talking about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels, tourism office, but we are not familiar, you can contact me by email: [email protected]

Something we have not paid attention to locks on VO for a long time, but there are so many of them that ... well, you simply cannot tell about all of them. Just think: in France today there are more than 600 of them, but before there were even more - about 6,000! There are more than 2000 of them in Spain, and 250 are safe and sound. And then there is England, Germany, the Czech Republic and even the same Poland, where one of the largest brick castles in the world rises - Marienburg Castle. In the Kaliningrad region, the ruins of ancient castles rise everywhere, and in one of them - Shaaken, entertaining "medieval performances" are played out with the most real "knightly horseradish", beer and fried herring. And each, by the way, is unique, because they were built in different places, at different times and from different materials. And their builders also had different means. For example, Beaumaris Castle in England was built in just 18 months, from 1278 to 1280, and all because 400 bricklayers and 1000 laborers worked on it, and there were more than 2000 people working there. Now let's see what it cost to feed such a crowd: half a liter of grain per person per day (1800 hectoliters in six months!), And also meat, beer, salted fish. So it is not surprising that the castle of the father - King Henry, his son - Richard the Lionheart, paid for 12 years later!

This is what the castle of Castel del Monte looks like, located on a low hill in the middle of a plain and flowering orchards.

There were castles, fortresses and castles for residence, there are known "royal castles" and castles that belonged to the lords, castles about which everything is known and castles filled with secrets. And today our story will go about one of these castles. And this castle is called Castel del Monte, which in Italian means "castle on the mountain" or "mountain castle".

The castle is located in the south of Italy, only 16 km from the city of Andria, so getting to it is not difficult. Well, and it is interesting primarily because it is the memory of Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen, whom his contemporaries called "a crusader without a cross and without a campaign", while others (it is clear that first of all these were his court poets and the courtiers themselves !) were magnificently called "The Miracle of the World".

It was built (if we compare it with the same Beaumaris) for quite a long time, from 1240 to 1250. Hordes of Mongols ravaged the fields and cities of Europe, blood poured everywhere, and here people hewed stones for themselves, mixed lime and, not in a hurry, carried the stone to the construction. The usual padding for a team of two bulls was 2.5 tons, but they could travel no more than 15 km a day with such a load, so it is not hard to imagine how much time and effort it took to transport only one here to the plain. building material... The architect of the castle is unknown (although it is possible that Frederick himself was involved in the construction). At first, the castle was given the name castrum Sancta Maria de Monte after the Maria del Monte monastery located in the same place. But nothing remained of him, so this cannot be stated with certainty. It is believed that this is one of the most outstanding castles of the era of the life of Emperor Frederick II. The castle also has one more name - "Crown of Apulia", which in a certain way is associated with its shape. It must be said here that Emperor Frederick was known to his contemporaries as one of the most educated people of that time, that he could speak Greek and Arabic, and, of course, he wrote and spoke in Latin and invited poets and artists to his court as from the West and from the East. Mathematical competitions were held at his court, in which the famous mathematician Fibonacci took part, and perhaps this somehow influenced the strict architectural form of the castle.

The fact is that Castel del Monte has the form of a regular octagon 25 m high, at the corners of which towers rise, also built in the form of octagons 26 m high.The length of each side of the main octagon is 16.5 m, and the lengths of the sides of the octagonal small towers is 3.1 m. The main entrance to the castle is oriented to the east and is located between two towers. Another entrance is directly opposite the first.

Although Castel del Monte is called a castle, this structure in the exact sense of the word is not a castle. It has no ditch, shaft, and no drawbridge. It has no storage rooms, no stables, no kitchen. The entrance to it is designed as a portal gothic cathedral... And its functional purpose is completely incomprehensible. It was suggested that it might have become the emperor's hunting residence, but its inner chambers, according to a number of researchers, were too richly decorated and furnished for a simple "hunting lodge".

Purely structurally, Castel del Monte is a two-story stone structure with a flat roof. Exactly at half its height, there is a small cornice along the entire perimeter, dividing the floors. The second cornice, which separates the basement of the building, runs at a height of about 2 m. Since the "castle" has the shape of an octahedron, its courtyard has the same shape of a regular octagon.

The entire building of the castle looks like one single monolith, and in fact it is so. It was built of polished limestone blocks, but the columns, frames of the castle windows and its portals are made of marble. There are two windows on the outer wall - with one arch on the first floor and two on the second. But for some reason, one window on the second floor, facing north, has three arches.

And now let's count a little and find out that the whole building is associated with the number eight, and in numerology it is a symbol of peace and infinity, and is located between the world of Heaven and Earth. All this smacks of the most real occultism. And Frederick was very inclined towards him. In general, he was a great rationalist. For example, he denied the divine origin of the stigmata of Francis of Assisi - an unprecedented case for a Christian, and on the grounds that, they say, they appeared on his palms, and Christ could not be nailed to the cross in this way, since the bones of the palm were not strong and could not stand would be the weight of his body! Truly divine stigmata should appear on the wrists, between the radius and ulna!

The 16 interior rooms of the castle have the shape of regular trapezoids, eight in number on each floor. At the same time, wardrobes, toilets and spiral staircases leading upstairs are located in the corner turrets. It is interesting that these stairs do not twist to the right, as would have been the fashion of those years for defense purposes, but to the left, like a snail's shell. Moreover, it is known that Friedrich himself was not left-handed.

Three portals on the first floor lead to the inner courtyard of the castle, but apart from them, on the second floor there are also three doors that were supposed to open onto a circular wooden balcony, which has not survived to this day. There are also small windows in the walls overlooking the courtyard. Thus, light enters its interior spaces through both the outer and inner walls. There were no battlements either on the walls or along the perimeter of the turrets and ... the question legally arises, how would the people who were supposed to live in this castle, if necessary, set out to defend it?

Although all rooms, both on the first and second floors, have the same shape for all, they still differ from each other in the location of the entrance doors. The two halls of the first floor have exits to the outside of the castle through the east and west portals, but they do not have exits to the courtyard, although they have doors to other halls. That is, you will not get from hall number 2 except through the courtyard to hall number 3, although only a wall separates them. You need to go out into the courtyard, go to hall number 4 and from there you get to hall number 3! But from room number 4 you can freely forgive into rooms 5,6,7,8. That is, in addition to the passage halls, which have 2-3 doors, there are also halls in the castle in which there is only one door. And there are 4 such halls - again, two on each of the floors. Each of these 4 rooms has a fireplace and a passage to the toilet located in the adjacent tower. The toilets are arranged in such a way that they were well ventilated through vents in the walls and even - oh, the miracle of the then architecture and construction art, - could be washed with water from the tanks located on the roof. There is a hall that is usually called the throne room. Its window faces east and is located above the main portal. However, it does not have a fireplace or a toilet.

And now the most interesting thing: these very windows are in the walls of the first and second floors. Through them, direct sunlight necessarily penetrates into each room on the second floor twice a day all year round, but on the first floor this happens only in summer. That is, what happens? The upper part of the castle is essentially a huge sundial, and the first floor can serve as a calendar at all. That is, this entire castle is nothing more than a giant astronomical instrument? Quite possible. No documents about its construction have survived. Rather, there is one document dated January 29, 1240, in which the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Staufen orders the Governor and Judge Richard de Montefussol to buy lime, stone and everything needed for construction. There is also a document from 1241-1246. - "List of fortifications in need of repair." But in it Castel del Monte is already listed as a built castle, not a castle under construction. There is also no evidence that Frederick II ever visited this castle at all or used it as his hunting residence. And in 1250 Frederick II died altogether and the castle passed to his sons.

It was then that the truth of the saying that "nature rests on children" was confirmed. If Frederick successfully resisted the two popes, was excommunicated three times, managed to return Jerusalem to Christians without war, having signed an agreement with Sultan al Kamil on the transfer of the holy places of Palestine to them, then his son Manfred died without having achieved the throne of Sicily and Naples, and his young children: Frederick, Henry and Enzo, his winner Karl of Anjou imprisoned in this castle for as much as 33 years. And then this castle was completely abandoned and it was only occasionally used for wedding ceremonies, and the local nobility also escaped there from the plague.

In 1876, the castle was acquired by the state, restored and put in order. And in 1996 UNESCO included it in the World Heritage List, so today it is being watched, put in order, and the flow of tourists to it does not diminish!

P.S. There is no way to just go and see this castle? Then it is at your service ... a model on a scale of 1: 150, which is assembled from small bricks! This is what people have reached nowadays - they also offer such original "prefabricated models". The quality can be judged by the photograph. The manufacturer is the Spanish company Aedes Ars, but the photo of the assembled castle was kindly provided to us by the “Shipyard on the table” company.

There are many beautiful places, enjoying the increased attention of tourists. The south of Italy is known throughout the world for its outstanding architecture, and the eastern region of Puglia is no exception. Many structures are of interest not only for their original designs. The buildings, the purpose of which remains a big mystery for posterity, become the subject of discussion by tourists and the object of many years of research by scientists.

Top attractions in the middle ages in Bari

The capital of the region is famous for its religious monuments. Nicholas with the myrrh-streaming relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Church of St.Sabinus - the main attractions ancient city... Around Bari, there are medieval historical monuments, which tourists from all over the world come to admire.

The most famous building is the Castel del Monte castle, called the most mysterious building in Europe. The regular octagon, literally saturated with symbolism, raises the minds of specialists.

The conflicting identity of the owner of the castle

To make sense of architectural features capital structure, it is necessary to get acquainted with its owner - a person who is ambiguous and evokes different feelings among historians.

The controversial personality of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen caused a lot of controversy and opinions. It is known that his cruelty and lust for power knew no bounds. For lack of religious feelings, he was excommunicated from the church, which did not prevent him from winning the Crusade.

The emperor who returned Jerusalem to the Christian world was considered a very educated person. The surviving ancient document describes the decree of Frederick II on the beginning of the large-scale construction of the castle near the monastery of Santa Maria del Monte. Work began on the high hill at the beginning of 1240 and continued for about ten years.

The fate of the historical monument

It is believed that the emperor himself took part in the development of the grandiose project of Castel del Monte, but documentary evidence of his residence in his brainchild was not found. After the death of the crowned person, the castle was inherited by the sons, but after some time it was abandoned and served as a shelter for local shepherds. After repeated acts of vandalism in 1876, it was taken under the protection of the state.

There is a legend that the imperious emperor did not die in 1250, but simply hid from the whole world, planning to reform the church and establish peace on earth.

Riddles that have no answers yet

Not all scientists agree on the start date for the construction of Castel del Monte. It is known of serious financial difficulties in 1239, due to which the construction of other fortresses in the empire was suspended. This is one of the first mysteries that specialists are working on to this day.

The second, concerning the true purpose of the monumental structure, torments all researchers and historians. There is an official version, according to which the building was originally built as a residence for the emperor who loves falconry. However, the spiral staircases inside the castle are twisted to the left, counterclockwise, in a completely different direction than it was customary. In the huge room there is not even a hint of rooms for supplies, servants, stables, and the interior decoration is too luxurious for a hunting lodge.

Castle or something else?

Located on a high hill, the octagon, at the corners of which there are towers, is not like other castles. It does not have the obligatory drawbridge, rampart and moat, and the main entrance is made in the form of a portal of a Gothic temple, facing east.

The architectural creation, which is a two-story structure with a flat roof, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

The symbolism of the eight

The octagonal plan of the building, located in the city of Bari, whose sights are known to the whole world, made the building famous. Despite the fact that the building looks intimidating, it has never been a defensive structure. Eight trapezoidal rooms on the first floor, not intended for receiving guests, and the same number of rooms on the second, corner turrets with eight sides are full of surprises. The symbolic number is repeated in architectural details a huge number of times.

The courtyard once housed a marble pool, symbolizing the Holy Grail. Needless to say, it also had an octagonal shape. And under it were cisterns with water, united in a special hydraulic system - the oldest sewage system of the Middle Ages.

The interior of Castel del Monte is surprising: all its details continue the theme of the figure of eight - a symbolic figure of infinity, considered a transition from earth to sky.

Calendar and sundial

Main feature historical monument is its ability to show the time. The first floor is a kind of calendar that counts down the time. Direct sunlight enters each room on the second floor twice a day throughout the year (for rooms on the first floor this is true only in summer), turning the structure into a giant sundial.

At noon of the autumnal equinox, the castle's massive walls cast a shadow that equals the length of the courtyard. Gradually, it lengthens until it “contains” the entire structure.

A place for occult rituals?

The realm of geometry, numerology, all kinds of secret signs, most likely, served as a meeting place for communities that conducted occult rituals, or an astronomical observatory in which they studied alchemy. The retinue of Frederick II included the famous astrologer and magician Michele Scoto, whose name was mentioned by Dante in his work, describing the hell of sorcerers.

The construction of Castel del Monte was not without the influence of the Templars. The stone crown of Apulia, as the mysterious masterpiece of world architecture is also called, was the material embodiment of esoteric, astronomical and mathematical knowledge.

Citadel of Secret Knowledge

The national monument is adored by tourists who admire the original stone work, which has no analogues. Travelers who come to the south of Italy will certainly visit the legendary castle, the image of which is minted by the government of the country on small coins. The majestic building is in no hurry to give away all the secrets, but that makes it even more interesting to look into the citadel of secret knowledge.

The castle is located in Apulia, near the city of Andria. According to assumptions, it was erected on the site of a destroyed fortress. True, no traces of her were found. In 1240, King Frederick II gave the order to build a castle on the site of the fortress. The construction took exactly ten years. After the end of the construction, the ruler dies unexpectedly. From that moment all the secrets began. Until now, no one knows who built the castle and how it was used in people's lives. It is known that Frederick was friends with the leader of the Teutonic Order. Some documents indicate that even the emperor himself was in the order and was one of the masters. The building has no practical value, it was built under the influence of the Templars. It is unlikely that practical minds will understand its essence; it is better to think philosophically here.

If you look closely at the structure, you can notice the octagons located on the floors of the castle. The octagon is located in an intermediate position between the square - the sign of the earth and the circle that represents the sky. Such buildings were always built by the Templars. On the first and second floors there are eight trapezoidal rooms. The towers can be reached via counterclockwise spiral staircases. This contradicts all other buildings of past centuries, in which the stairs were turned clockwise. All rooms of the castle are built like a labyrinth, it is completely incomprehensible in which of them you will find yourself next time. It is also surprising that there is not a single living quarters in the castle, there are empty, bare rooms around.

Inside the castle, in the courtyard, there is an octagon-shaped pool carved from a single piece of marble. It was used for the secret "tear of the Lord" ritual performed by members of the Templar Order. Under the pool was a rainwater cistern system. This is one of the first examples of ancient sewage systems that have survived to this day. The entire interior is simply crammed with objects that resembled eights. Even in the stucco molding on the walls, there are many references to the number eight. Why exactly "8"? The thing is that this number symbolizes infinity and connects heaven and earth.

If we consider the castle from the mystical side, then it was used as a secret temple, as a place that helps to get in touch with heavenly forces. Even the entrance to the structure is from the side rising sun... Judging by all the architecture and location, the sun plays one of the main roles. At noon, it casts a shadow in such a way that the outlines completely repeat the proportions of the castle. During the summer solstice, rectangular shadows appear, cast so that the castle is exactly in the middle. On the entrance pillars are two lions looking directly at the sunrise points.

If we consider the practical side of using the lock, then everything is simple. Scientists have found that Frederick II was very fond of hunting falcons. He even wrote a whole book about these birds with his own drawings. It is likely that Castel del Monte was used as a hunting lodge or for important events.

Our time Castel del Monte