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Setting aside the historical course of the Carafa residence in Roccella over the past centuries, we aim to provide some information about what appears to us on the rock, so majestic as it rises with such grandeur that it seems ready to face everything around it.
Since its inception, the previous Carafa structure has undergone continuous refinements, adaptations, and modifications, making it difficult to keep pace with its evolutionary path. Archival documentation does not always support the analysis of the phases and events of its formation.
From what is known of the past, we take what is necessary here to justify the construction, location, architecture, needs, and living spaces of a princely family of the 1700s: our Carafa Palace.
To fully understand the dynamics that accompanied the Carafa family events at the end of the 1600s, it is noted that the last heir of that time of the Carafa fiefdom, centered in Roccella, was Carlo Maria, the 4th Prince of Roccella. His childless marriage to his cousin Donna Isabella d’Avalos brought the house into crisis, as there were no other males available to take on the family’s destiny. Attention turned to one of the professed nuns of the Order of the Poor Clares from the Monastery of Santa Maria della Sapienza: Donna Giulia. Leaving the monastic habit specifically, Donna Giulia married her cousin Federico Carafa, from the Bruzzano branch. Upon the death of Prince Carlo Maria on June 1, 1695, his sister became the 5th Princess of Roccella and of all the Sicilian fiefs, headed by Butera and Mazzarino. Fate decreed that this marriage also produced no heirs. Donna Giulia died on December 3, 1703. An important event that marked the destiny of the “State of Roccella” was the difficult situation due to numerous debts accumulated over time by various Carafa members. Given the circumstances, the Royal Treasury deemed it necessary to seize the fiefdom. It was left to appreciate the wealth of the property through an estimate of all the Carafa’s movable and immovable assets. This created a complex procedural situation that ended with the division of the Carafa fiefs into two parts: Sicilian and Calabrian. The Sicilian branch returned to the heirs of the ancient feudatories. As for the principality of Roccella, Don Vincenzo Maria Carafa, the 3rd Duke of Bruzzano, came forward requesting to take it over. By overcoming the complex bureaucracy, the situation was resolved with the Royal Treasury, and in June 1707, the Carafa of Bruzzano took possession of the State of Roccella.
For the appraisal of said State, the Royal Treasury appointed the royal surveyor Donato Gallarano and the royal engineer Giuseppe Galluccio. A copy of this document compiled by the two designated technicians is preserved in the Naples Archives and is the most important source for understanding the fiefdom of Roccella in the early 1700s. From the detailed description of the Carafa Palace on the rock of Roccella, one can understand the choices made by the technical designers under the guidance of Don Vincenzo Maria Carafa and Princess Donna Ippolita Cantelmo Stuart. Certainly, it took some time before “laying hands” on the construction of the new Palace. It was clear that Prince Don Vincenzo and Princess Donna Ippolita made a decisive break with the past, directing the course of history right from the start. Since the Carafa settled in the lands of Roccella and Castelvetere, their residence had always been the Castelvetere palace. Indeed, the prominent members of the house were born there: Girolamo, Fabrizio, Don Gregorio, Carlo Maria, and Donna Giulia.
It was the autumn of 1707 when the princes Don Vincenzo Maria and Donna Ippolita headed towards Roccella. Donna Ippolita was pregnant. They intended for their next child to be born in Roccella, abandoning the ancient custom of having heirs born in Castelvetere. With this action, they wanted to send a clear message about the new direction they were taking, making Roccella the center of their attention and future, turning it into the capital of the State. Interestingly, their first child born in Roccella was Carlo Maria, Gerardo, Francesco Antonio, Domenico, Nicola, Donato, Gennaro, Ilario Gaspare, Baldassarre, Melchiorre, Alberto, Vittorio. It was December 15, 1707. We believe that between the end of 1712 and the beginning of the following year, the “Great Construction Site” began. For the construction of the Carafa Palace, craftsmen from all the various fiefdoms of the State worked on it, with the majority being from Roccella, including a large number of master masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, vaticali, and muleteers. It was necessary to give greater visibility to the Palace, as befitting a princely residence, and to the nearby Mother Church, granting it the prestige previously lacking. It should be noted that right in front of the Church was the “Comunello,” the municipal seat where auctions and public meetings were held. Several houses almost adjoined the Prince’s residence, obstructing free access to the Palace with carts and carriages. In practice, the expansion of the Prince’s Palace incorporated other houses and spaces pertaining to the Carafa. Meanwhile, several houses were alienated and demolished to form a new, more spacious, and livable square. This all took place in January 1724. In this project to modify the square in front of the Church-Palace, we think the reconstruction of the current bell tower was included. We know for sure that some houses had a tax relationship with the Cathedral, which persisted even after demolition. A passage from the Platea of the Mother Church in 1740 records the Archpriest complaining: “… capitals collected and exacted by me with difficulty and effort, because said houses, stairway, and bell tower were demolished to make space and a square in front of the Greater Cathedral and the Palace of the Exalted Family, and Carafa house …”.
We know from other sources that the reconstruction as it appears today was thanks to Princess Donna Ippolita Cantelmo Stuart. On April 20, 1726, Prince Don Vincenzo Maria Carafa passed away, just as the Palace was being completed in its current form.
While the princely family resided in Naples, the Palace remained under the custody of their trustees, service personnel, and various treasurers who managed the accounting for the entire fiefdom. Don Gennaro, son of Don Vincenzo and Donna Ippolita, heir to the fiefdom and the 7th Prince of Roccella, despite maintaining his presence in Naples, did not neglect contact with the various Calabrian fiefdoms, even if his visits to Roccella were infrequent and brief.
On April 22, 1738, Don Gennaro Maria married Donna Silvia Ruffo of the Princes of Motta S. Giovanni, described by chroniclers of the time as a woman of rare beauty. A new chapter was opening for Roccella and the Palace. Don Vincenzo Maria had set an example for what the destiny of Roccella should be: it was to become the capital of a great fiefdom. For this reason, future princes should be born in the Carafa Palace of Roccella. Don Gennaro Maria best interpreted his father’s message. Everything necessary was prepared since the Palace had not been frequented by the princes for some years, only by the court service staff. Upon the announcement of Donna Silvia’s pregnancy, she took up permanent residence in the Palace. Roccella was about to experience a historic moment: the birth of the future Prince in the Palace. Arrangements were made for the midwife from Naples to assist the princess at the time of childbirth, and the great day was awaited. From Vol. 26, Roccella Jonica, Parish of S. Nicola di Bari, Book of Baptisms, we learn the news: “At 7 in the morning of July 13, 1739, Vincenzo Maria, Antonio, Francesco, Paolo, Tommaso, Federico, Salvatore, Gaspare, Baldassarre, Melchiorre, Carmelo, Luca, Gregorio, Bruno, Domenico, Michele, Giuseppe, Gioacchino, Bartolomeo, Nicola, Gennaro, Giovanni Matteo, Andrea, Tolomeo, Giacomo, Pietro, Mattia, Filippo, Simone, Tommaso Apostolo, Barnaba, Giacomo Maggiore, Giacomo Minore, Casimiro, Carlo, Vittorio, Ilario, Leo, Benedetto, Pasquale, Agostino, Zaccaria, Giovanni Battista, Gabriele, Raffaele, Bernardo, Alessandro, Amadeo, was born to Gennaro Maria Carafa, Prince of Roccella and the Holy Roman Empire, and Donna Silvia Ruffo of Bagnara.” The baptism was performed in the Mother Church of S. Nicola di Bari on August 23 by Bishop Idelfonso del Tufo. Roccella and the Carafa family rejoiced in this event. The joy was short-lived. On June 6, 1740, Donna Silvia gave birth to a baby girl who died almost immediately, just long enough to receive baptism from the midwife, as was customary in cases of imminent danger. Due to complications from childbirth and her precarious health, Donna Silvia died in the Roccella Palace a few days later, on June 30. Her body was buried in the Church of the Capuchins in Castelvetere. D. Gennaro and young Vincenzo Maria left Roccella and moved to Naples to ensure that the boy could be raised in a specialized institution. The palace in Roccella was vacated once more. D Gennaro’s attention was focused on Naples, and he remarried D. Teresa Carafa di Policastro. After D. Gennaro Maria’s death, the estate passed to D. Vincenzo Maria, the 8th Prince of Roccella. On December 13, 1760, he married D. Livia Doria Del Carretto of the Dukes of Tursi.
In 1770, the Princes moved to Roccella. Upon their arrival, various beautification and decorative works were carried out on the rooms of the palace. Their presence marked one of the most significant periods for Roccella, not only in terms of the palace’s architecture but also through important interventions in the Chiesa Matrice and probably in the Church of St. Joseph and other sacred places in the surrounding area. A curious and popular event involved D. Vincenzo Maria and D. Livia. The couple had three children before reaching Roccella, of whom only one survived: Donna Teresa. When they arrived in Roccella in 1770, as mentioned, due to their particular devotion to the Madonna of Polsi, they made a vow: to have a male heir to ensure the continuity of the family line. Their prayers and promises were fulfilled: on August 20, 1772, the future 9th Prince, Gennaro Maria, was born in the Palazzo of Roccella.
Months later, the princely couple, with their heir, headed towards the mountain to the Sanctuary of Polsi, intending to fulfill their vow. During the ascent to the Church, young Gennaro seemed to faint and showed no signs of life. Everyone thought he was dead, imagining the parents’ anguish. A small wooden coffin was prepared for the child’s body, and they continued the journey to the Sanctuary. Placed on the altar, the priests present prayed for the little deceased. Miraculously, the child awoke. It was declared a miracle, and the event was recorded and recounted by writers and chroniclers of the time, passing into history as “The Miracle of the Prince of Roccella.” This miracle is narrated in various poems in all the dialects of Calabria. To give more credence to the episode, a small wooden coffin was kept in a niche in the Church.
The Prince’s family had returned to Naples years before Calabria was struck by the terrible earthquake of 1783. After the strong tremors of February 5 and 7, King Ferdinand IV ordered the various Calabrian feudal lords residing in Naples to return to their estates to assess the situation and damages, to stay close to the affected population, and plan their assistance.
The Palazzo of Roccella suffered some damage, like most of the city’s buildings, and after the strong initial shocks, the seismic swarm continued for several months. Living with the fear of further strong tremors reasonably advised the people to find alternative solutions. The most immediate and practical solution was to build wooden shacks. Thus, today’s Piazza S. Vittorio became a succession of wooden shacks covered with tiles, where the Governor, the Bishop, Prince D. Vincenzo Maria, priests, and many other people found shelter.
Even the Church of St. Vittorio was rendered unusable, so a special shack was built to serve as a church. For the construction of these wooden shacks in Piazza S. Vittorio, they used planks owned by the Prince, which were usually used to build small shacks rented to vendors during the Roccella fairs held near Piazza S. Vittorio and the adjacent Misostraco.
After about a month of living in the shack, Prince D. Vincenzo returned to Naples, leaving the Palazzo in Roccella with various damages that required repairs. The operations to repair walls, the roof, etc., were gradually financed and carried out.
The description of the Palazzo has been discussed without specifying its size and layout in detail. For this aspect, we refer to past documents. In the 1742 income declaration made by the Carafa Treasury, it was stated among the Feudal Assets, “…The Palazzo, which the said useful Lord holds within the said City, consisting of several upper and lower apartments, which he holds for his own residence and that of his Family…”.
This brief and vague declaration does not detail its extent and grandeur. With the abolition of feudalism in 1806, the long-standing prestige that had marked the Palazzo and the Carafa family also faded. A more precise description is found in the “Provisional Land Registry” drawn up in Roccella in 1816. The Carafa properties within the City were described as: “A palatial house of fifty-two upper and lower rooms with three ground floors”; additionally, “A palatial house of six rooms and ruined ground floors”; and “A palatial house of two rooms and two ground floors.”
Between 1800 and 1900, there were no major expenses to maintain the ancient manor habitable, just simple maintenance.
As its end approached, struck by its venerable age, the elements, and human neglect, a continuous recovery and usage effort began, gradually restoring and showing us all its imposing magnificence. From Capo Spartivento to Punta Stilo, its grandeur on that spur is visible.
The Palazzo: a giant on the “little rock” a giant for Roccella.