At the end of the sixteenth century the town of Mesagne was enclosed by a formidable defensive system composed of robust walls, a fosse (defensive ditch) and a castle.
In all probability, the fortification was constructed around the middle of the 15th century by the powerful feudal lord from the Kingdom of Napoli, the Prince of Taranto Giannantonio del Balzo Orsini.
He is responsible for the enlargement of the castle and the construction of the turret walls. Inside the walls the chiesa Matrice (Mother church), Monte di Pieta’, impressive noble palazzi and other churches of modest dimensions stand out; from which the names of neighbourhoods such as Sant’Anna and S. Cipriano, Santa Barbara, San Giorgio, San Bartolomeo, San Biagio, San Martino, S. Salvatore still derive their names today. An accurate description and representation of the town is provided to us by the humanist and scholar Cataldantonio Mannarino in his manuscript dating from 1596. From Mannarino we learn that the fortified town had two points of access: the Porta Grande facing the north and the Porta Piccola facing south, the castle and twenty-two turrets along the walls (even if the drawing shows twenty-one); almost all of which were in the form of a square, apart from three circular turrets.
At the beginning of the 17th century the Porta Nuova (new gate) was built, creating an opening in the walls to the east which connected the old town with the new; which was in continual expansion. Today, if one observes the town from above, it is still possible to recognise the perimeter of the fortification drawn by Mannarino and the actual streets Federico II and Manfredi Svevo that run along what were once the defensive ditches on the east and west sides of the town. There are no visible remains of the Porta Piccola, but the Porta Grande and the Porta Nuova are well preserved; even though they were subject to subsequent renovations over the years. Of particular importance, from a historical point of view, is the15th century tract of wall constructed with blocks of carparo stone and still well preserved and visible in the courtyard of number 128 on the street of Federico II. Also, one of the twenty-two turrets, in a square form with the base intact, and a section of wall of around 20 metres is situated in the courtyard of number 14 in the street of Federico II. This is the only piece of the wall in which the old fosse still remains today, free of construction along its entire length. And finally, one of the three circular turrets drawn by Mannarino. This turret is partly embedded in a house whose access is found on degli Azzolini street on the west side of the town.
Bibliography:
Luigi Greco, 2001 Storia di Mesagne in età barocca. vol. II – La città murata, i Borghi, L’architetto Francesco Capodieci. Schena Publisher
Giuseppe Giordano, Damiano Angelo Laucci, Domenico Urgesi, 2018 Cataldo Antonio Mannarino – Storia di Mesagne. Sulla rotta del sole Giordano Publisher
