The Rocca San Felice Castle was built on a rocky spur by the Lombards to support a defensive strategy against the Byzantines and for surveillance purposes, following the struggles for the possession of the Duchy of Benevento, which was split from the Principality of Salerno after the dispute. Collapses and damage caused by the natural disasters that befell the place have considerably altered the fortress's structure, which has undergone several changes and additions over time. The works initially emphasised its defensive purpose, such as the construction of the southern bastion, and later enhanced its residential purpose, with the construction of the Palatium and a building for residential use. Over time, the 'Rocca' lost both functions, ultimately becoming a simple blacksmith's workshop, until it was gradually abandoned and emptied.
Of the entire fortified area, the following are still visible today: the gateway that permitted access to the structure and which is now located at the entrance of the De Antonellis-Villani Palace on Piazza San Felice; the surrounding walls; and the Donjon (or cylindrical tower), which served as the fulcrum for the entire structure and with which the Castle is still identified. Built in the 12th century with a diameter of ten meters, it was constructed using a technique known as 'a sacco', in which two stone curtains forming the internal and external façades are filled in. The structure had four levels: the first level contained the cistern, still visible today; the second was used as a kitchen, as can be deduced from the presence of the well and the oven/fireplace; and finally, the third and fourth levels housed rooms with residential structures. On the top of the Donjon, there was a roof used as a lookout point, built in such a way as to collect rainwater and convey it to cistern on the first level.
Although it has lost its dual defensive and residential function over the centuries, the Rocca San Felice Castle still stands proud today over the Irpinian village and the splendid Valle d'Ansanto.
References:Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).