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From church to
prison: the ancient cathedral of St. Mary
Built in around 1530, during the construction of the bastion, of the same
name, that surrounds it, the church of St. Mary had a wooden roof, a main and a
side entrance, as well as fifty tombs. One of the altars was dedicated to the
Madonna of Itria. The cathedral, however, was not destined to last. At the end
of the 16th century it was expropriated by the state because its cumbersome
roof hindered the movement of cannons on the terraces of the bastion. The roof
was therefore dismantled and replaced by a robust brick barrel vault, which was
far more adapt to take the weight of the heavy artillery positioned on the terraces.
The large area, of which only the triumphal arch remains, was used at the
end of the 17th century for theatrical performances. In 1830 it was then used
as a penal colony for inmates condemned to hard labour. Watched over by the
Bourbon navy, prisoners wore long chains on their feet. These chains were
attached to the walls by around 50 stone loops (3 of which are still intact
though the others have been damaged). On the 16th October 1837, the stabbing of
a prison guard, by a prisoner who was about to receive 30 beatings for a
previous misdemeanour, caused a mass attempt to escape resulting in the injury
of 7 prisoners and the death of another.
Prisoners were usually chained together in pairs, though never two from
the same, or neighbouring, towns or villages. The hard life in the penal colony
and the heavy work load, was mitigated on festival days when the prisoners were
allowed to receive visitors. In 1849 the ancient cathedral was used as barracks
and a few years later as a penal colony again. The lower, adjacent, area of the
bastion, now accessible via an iron staircase, was adapted to contain the penal
colony. Next to the cathedral entrance are the remains of a latrine with 5
squat toilets used by the prisoners of the penal colony.
POLICE REPORT
«Object: Escape attempt by
prisoners from the penal colony of Santa Maria in Milazzo
Palermo, 26 October 1837.
…on the morning of the 16th
October 1837, Andrea Perna, a prisoner of the penal colony of Santa Maria, while
awaiting 30 beatings as punishment for a misdemeanour, rebelled by stabbing the
prison guard Andrea Ruggeri.
This act gave rise to a
rebellion on the part of the other prisoners of the colony of S. Maria, who
henceforth attempted to escape. The officer of the guards, seeing that his
threats had gone unheard, was obliged to order the use of grenades and gunfire
with which he was able to reestablish order.
The rebellion resulted in
the injury of 7 prisoners and in the death of another. The penal judge in
authority immediately began a case against them…»
Below, chained prisoners from the penal colony
of Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) doing hard labour in a state shipyard (painting by J. P. Hackert , late 18th
century, conserved in the Reggia of Caserta)
Chains from Italian penal colony from the 19th century (Museum of
Criminology, Rome)
Iron loops (set in the walls) to which prisoners condemned
to hard labour were attached by chains
