Palazzo Montalto Explained

Palazzo Montalto
Alternate Names:Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto
Status:Intact
Building Type:Palace
Architectural Style:Gothic
Location:Ortygia, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy
Completion Date:1397

Palazzo Montalto, also known as Palazzo Mergulese-Montalto, is a late 14th-century palace on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily.

History

The palace was built in 1397[1] for Maciotta Mergulese. This is commemorated by the following inscription on the façade:

In the 15th century, the Queen of Aragon gave the palace to Filippo Montalto. It was used as a temporary hospital during a cholera epidemic in 1837, and it was used by the Figlie della Carità in 1854.

Architecture

The palace is built in Chiaramonte Gothic architecture. Its façade is characterized by a number of mullioned windows decorated with flower motifs. It also has a palline losanghe cornice, similar to the one found at Palazzo Falson in Mdina, Malta.[2]

The portal is topped by an aedicula containing a marble slab with an inscription and the date of construction.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.carlomarullodicondojanni.net/Peregrinationes%20tomo%20VI.pdf accademia internazionale melitense - Carlo Marullo di Condojanni
  2. Busuttil. Claude. A Double Act for the 'Norman House': Palazzo Falzon or Palazzo Cumbo-Navarra?. Melita Historica. 1999. 12. 4. 416. https://web.archive.org/web/20160118221115/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.12(1996-99)/MH.12(1999)4/08.pdf. 18 January 2016.