The old town
Savoy Castle
It was probably built by the Marquesses Arduinici of Turin (it was probably Arduino the Hairless who built the first settlement of “Castrum Avilianae”) on the top of Mount Pezzulano at the beginning of the XIth century. This castle was a seat for the royal court and as such it was used by the Counts of Savoy at least from 1137.
Via Norberto Rosa, 8
10051 Avigliana TO
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In the XIIth century Emperor Frederick (Redbeard) destroyed the castle and burnt the town and his son Henry VI brought new destructions at the end of the same century. Thomas of Savoy rebuilt the castle in 1189 and since then it became the residence of an important lord of the Count of Savoy.
Afterwards it had mainly administrative and residential functions as we can see in some documents of the XIVth century, which tell about a “magna sala”, an “aula castri”, the “camera domini comitis”, the “garderoba retro cameram”, the “capella” and the “turris falsa versus foloniam”.
The fresco in St. Peter’s Church represents the castle at the end of the XVth century with a residential building with mullioned windows with two lights inside. This look is confirmed by the picture of Theatrum Sabaudiae, where we can see a square, embattled and fortified building with two towers, a round one and a square one.
In 1691, after conquering it, the French Marshal Catinat got it definitively demolished, leaving the remains we see nowadays.