For its strategic position, the castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano had, for centuries, the function of defense of the southern borders of the Papal States. In fact, the castle is divided into a military part, that could hold up to 700 people, and the residences.
The building dates from the late eleventh century and in 1157 it became the property of Count Aquinas, a vassal of the Pope Adrian IV. In 1184 the castle was damaged by an earthquake.
Between 1244 and 1245 St. Thomas Aquinas was shut up here, and here was his purity was tempted by a woman. The saint resisted and his room was converted into a chapel. The scene is described in a masterpiece of Spanish painter Diego Velazquez: "The Temptation of St. Thomas" (1632) displayed in the Diocesan Museum of Orihuela (Alicante) in Spain.
In 1495 the castle was destroyed by the troops of Charles VIII, King of France, and in 1595 the rebuilt castle became the headquarters of the Pontifical Governor, when Pope Clement VIII had regained possession.
Two strong earthquakes caused serious damage: in 1703 and in 1915, which led to the demolition of two floors of the palace.
Today we can see two towers, part of the city walls and a building and the bottom that has become a garden which we cross to go to the Chapel of St. Thomas.
In the chapel is a painting by Solimena and a sixteenth-century triptych of the Neapolitan school, on the back wall you can see traces of frescoes and the floor comprises fired and glazed tiles from the sixteenth century.
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