The castle of Santa Severa in Santa Marinella was founded around the year 1000 when the counts of Tuscia built a fortress with a high cylindrical watchtower and the great Saracen Tower at the behest of Leo IV.
A small church was built on the spot dedicated to the young Severa of Pyrgi, martyred right here with her brothers on June 5, 298 AD. by Emperor Diocletian
In the castle you can see the remains of this ancient church which was probably later destroyed by a fire.
The tower is also called Normanna. It has three floors with three circular rooms and ends with a flat terrace and a frame with three orders of corbels and is equipped with machicolations.
The castle has a rectangular plan with corner towers and is connected to the large Saracen Tower (male of the castle) by a wooden bridge. The castle has three floors for a height of about 20 meters and was once surrounded by a moat. It has an area of 800 square meters.
The present appearance of the castle, however, dates back to the fourteenth century and the nearby village was formed in the following two centuries. In this village you can relive the emotions of life in the castle and in the museums you can find all the tools and means used by the population over the centuries.
From 1482 Pope Sixtus IV donated it to the Order of the Holy Spirit and for a couple of centuries it was a place of rest and stay for many popes: among them Gregory XIII, Sixtus V and Urban VIII. In this period the church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Baptistery dedicated to Santa Lucia were built.
In 1943, the castle of Santa Severa was used by the Germans as a strategic military post.
Today the castle belongs to the region and houses a hostel, a conference room and spaces dedicated to permanent collections and exhibitions.
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