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Religious Itineraries
3 min read

Manfredonia

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Description of the Itinerary

Manfredonia is about 10 miles away from San Giovanni Rotondo. It is situated in the curve of the coastal strip, in the middle of the wide Gulf of Manfredonia, opening into the Adriatic Sea at the foot of the Gargano.

 

Places of interest

  • The Castle
  • The Cathedral
  • The National Museum of the Gargano
  • The Church of San Domenico

The Itinerary

Its gulf was probably a landing point already in the Mycenaean Age, playing a central role in trade and exchanges between the ancient peoples of the Aegean, Adriatic, and Ionic basins. It is the succession-town of Siponto which, together with Canosa, was one of the main early Christian and Byzantine towns in the Apulia region. Canosa was destroyed by an earthquake around the middle of the 13th century.

Manfredonia was founded in 1256. In fact, it is named after Manfred, King of Sicily, natural son of Frederick II, who founded the town in the mid-13thcentury as the location in which to move the inhabitants of nearby Siponto, since the latter had been destroyed as a result of Saracen incursions and an earthquake. The Angevins called it Sypontum Novellum.

Dating back to that period is the Hohenstaufen Castle, completed by Charles I of Anjou. The massive structure of the castle and its towers, in particular, bear clear signs of the Angevin and Aragonese rules that followed.

The castle bears witness to the presence of the Hohenstaufen family in the area and today it hosts a civic museum.

The Cathedral

The Cathedral is located in Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, and it is built in the baroque style. It was constructed in the year 1680, following the will of Pope Benedict XIII, on the site of what was previously a gothic church that was destroyed by the Turks. Its bell tower is quite distinctive.

National Museum of the Gargano

The museum is situated inside the Aragon castle. It was opened to the general public in 1980. It exhibits findings dating from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Quite interesting is the collection of Daunian steles found in this area. They are carved limestone slabs, evidence of the Daunian civilization, dating back to the period between the 7th and 6th centuries B.C. The museum tells the story of the Siponto lagoon, which does not exist anymore.