Medieval Castle

The Medieval Castle of Ausonia from 2004 the Stone Museum. Built by the Princes of Capua in honor to the Abbey of Montecassino, the Castle is a valuable example of architecture of the year one thousand, originating a castrum around, from which is developed Ausonia.In a strategic position between Gaeta and Montecassino, the Castrum Fractarum risentì of its position on the border between the Duchy of Gaeta and the possessions of the Abbey of Montecassino, passing in the years prior to the one and then the other. It had surely military function but also residential for captains stationed at Fratte (the current Ausonia).

Recognizable are the emerging Tower, detached from the complex and situated in the center of the building, a turret corner, next to Via S. Michele, who in a recent restoration has revealed the body of a statue leonina (the lion-guard the land of San Benedetto), used as construction material during the Middle Ages. The castle of Fratte was built on the border between the domains of the Longobards and Byzantines, as strong in 700-800 A.D. as a military fortification belongs to the category of "small fortifications" (or fortellitium), the importance of which was due to the strategic position (control of the road leading from Formia at Monte Cassino). The first written record (with which Fratte enters the historiography) is a donation of 1025 that the count of Traetto did Peter delle Fratte.

Since then numerous are the historical events of this castrum that progressively goes from military functions and sighting to functions of police and local administrative. In 1491 an inventory drawn up to the death of honored II describes the status of the castle, which appears in decadence. The Captain Andrea De Nardillo of funds and five companions lived and garrisoned the fort with few and scarce resources by raising the flag of the Caetani (used and old), and defending the country from enemies. Another inventory (I welcome the 1690) documents how the castle appeared with rooms dirute, uncovered courtyard, cistern, staircase that accesses the loggia discovery, above the tower with two accessible rooms with scale at hand, head in the loggia, in the four corners that surround the central tower four turrets external defense, a clock with a bell.

With time the original military functions are replaced by functions of police: In fortellitium gathered men in arms with the captain who chose the guards responsible for supervision of the market on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of the plan, the octave of the Assumption. In the nineteenth century the castle degrades increasingly and from 1842 cease its military function and is used as a cemetery, equipped with mortuary chapel. At the end of the Second World War the castle undergoes further damage. In the early days of the post-war reconstruction is used as a dump of building materials and in a space formed by a tower collapsed, is formed a school classroom. Today the castle has two surviving towers around the male and the boundary wall that develops with the tower-houses up to the door of the above".