The castle of Monreale is located in the territory of the municipality of Sardara, in the province of Southern Sardinia.
It is located on top of a hill, at a height of about 280 meters above sea level.
Its position allows you to admire the entire Campidano plain up to Cagliari. Together with the castles of Marmilla and Arcuentu, in 1309 it marked the border between the Giudicato of Cagliari and that of Arborea.
Inside the walls there was the village and a small church dedicated to San Michele.
The walls closed an area of about 4.6 hectares.
Its dating remains uncertain and there are different testimonies that speak of the Castrum de Monte or Castrum Montis Regalis of Sardara, adorned with the qualification of "royal" since 1309, when it was granted by King James II of Aragon to Mariano and Andreotto de Bas , judges of Arborea, and on their behalf administered by the Municipality of Pisa.
It is supposed to have been built between the end of the ninth and the beginning of the tenth century, immediately after the birth of the Sardinian judges and in continuation of pre-existing nuragic structures.
In 1324 there is the first attestation of the use of Monreale as a royal residence, the year in which Ugone II of Arborea, encamped near Pabillonis, faced and defeated the Pisans in battle in the territory of Sardara and Sanluri.
The fortress reached its maximum splendor with Eleonora d'Arborea, who succeeded her brother Ugone III.
After the defeat in the battle of Sanluri (30 June 1409), the last arborense judge William III of Narbonne found refuge here.
The castle was used as a district prison until the 17th century.
Monreale Castle
Address: Strada comunale di Monreale, 09030
Phone:
Site:
http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17870&v=2&c=2488&c1=2127&t=1Location inserted by
CHO.earth