Titolo: Castle and fortress of Sant' Apollinare
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Castle and fortress of Sant' Apollinare

The medieval village of Sant'Apollinare, situated on a hill, has an amazing view of the Nestore Valley. Near the castle, dating back to the 11th century, there is an imposing fortress, the settlement of the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of San Pietro in Perugia.

The history of the castle and the rock

The curious dedication to the Ravenna saint Sant'Apollinare is explained by the fact that the cult of this figure was widely spread throughout the Byzantine Corridor, which included the Nestor Valley.

The Curtis of San Marie Apollinaris was donated in 1030 by the local lord – Ugone, son of Alberigo to the Abbey of Farfa but, a few decades later, the abbot of Farfa gave it in lease to the Abbey of San Pietro in Perugia, which gained possession of the whole territory over time. The population of the castle drastically declined from the 14th century due to famines, plagues, and the earthquake of 1328 that killed over 2,000 people in Umbria. The fortress was sacked and devastated twice: the first, at the behest of the Perugian magistrates due to the bloody events between Abbot Guidalotti and Biordo Michelotti, the second time by the famous commander Braccio Fortebraccio who occupied Sant’Apollinare causing again serious damage. The rock was completely rebuilt and in the following years it repopulated and became a castrum with 195 residents.

Castle Sant'Apollinare

Castle Sant'Apollinare

Castle Sant'Apollinare

Abbey of Sant'Apollinare

Abbey of Sant'Apollinare

Abbey of Sant'Apollinare

Art, Culture, Environment

The charming village surrounded by medieval walls, is accessed from the 15th century tower that was home for 400 years to the marquis family Graziani of Perugia. The tower leads to the cloister with a medieval limestone well at its center.

In an elevated and defensive position, not far from the Castle, is the Rocca di Sant'Apollinare, the ancient Benedictine Abbey. It was transformed at the beginning of the 16th century into a monastery, where the monks spent periods of plague and other epidemics, frequent in those years.

In the following century, the fortress of Sant'Apollinare had a significant agricultural production, which was preserved and stowed on the site. The San Pietro Abbey held possession of the fortress until 1892, when the Foundation for Agricultural Education was founded, which still owns the fortress.

The Abbey, as an important defensive point towards Todi, was conceived as a fortress with strong walls that date back to the 16th century. This impressive building is composed of a Romanesque church, with a 16th-century canvas showing the Child between angels and SS. Pietro e Apollinare, the work of Polidoro di Stefano Ciburri, a stone and brick convent, as well as a cloister and warehouses. The parish church of Sant'Apollinare, built in 1510, is located at the entrance to the castle.

 

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