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Mategriffon

Italy · 11th century

Founded
1061
Style
Medieval architecture
Heritage status
Italian national heritage
Location
Messina
Coordinates
38.19619°, 15.55197°
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Mategriffon in Italy
Photo: Effems · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

Mategriffon or Matagrifone or Mathegriffon or Rocca Guelfonia was a medieval castle in Messina, Sicily, located in what is today Viale Principe Umberto. Its strategic position upon a rocky hill close to the historic city centre gave a commanding view of the harbour and Strait of Messina. In the 19th century it was converted into a prison. Prior to its destruction in the 1908 earthquake it comprised a square dungeon with ramparts and reinforced by polygonal towers. Only an octagonal tower remains standing and is incorporated into the 20th century Shrine of Christ the King church, a visible Messina landmark which dominates its skyline.

The name Matagrifone signifies "Greek killers" or "kill-Greeks" due to the population of Messina having been predominantly of Greek ancestry.

Text adapted from “Mategriffon” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

Mategriffon ranks #7,007 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #490 of the 555 mapped in Italy. Founded 1061, it is older than 88% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 439 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. It is one of the 32 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Sicily. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.

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