The Acropolis of Civita
Alatri is known for the presence of the Acropolis that dates back to the
pre-Romanesque age. It is surrounded by gigantic walls made of stone
called polygonal walls. The precise period in which the Acropoli and its
walls were built is unknown, but probably their realisation must be
located between the Fourth and Third century BC. These walls can be
admired still today thanks to their exceptional state of conservation. As
legend would have it, they were built by an ancient population of giants
that were able to place these enormous blocks of stone one above the
other without the help of any kind of material to keep them together.
This is why they are called cyclonic walls.
The frame of walls that goes beyond the two metres of length, follows
the tendency of the hill with a polygonal form. The Acropolis can be accessed by the Porta Maggiore, situated on the southern part of the
walls, with its enormous architrave that measures 4.5 metres in length
and 2.68 in width, second in Europe to the Lion Gate in Mycenae.
The staircase that leads to the door is part of the renovation made in the
Nineteenth century.
Near the Porta Maggiore there are inside the walls three big rectangular
recesses, the profundity of which measures about 90 cm. These
recesses are also called "the Sanctuaries" but their function is still
unknown.
There is also another front door, called Porta Minore, located on the
northern part, that is far smaller than the Porta Maggiore: it measures
2,12 in length and 1,16 in width. Through the Porta Minore we can enter
into an ascending corridor perfectly conserved. The Porta Minore is also
called the "Porta dei Falli", due to the presence of three phallus carved
into the stone as a symbol of fecundity.
Along the slope situated under the northern part of the Acropolis, there
can be found the remains of an ancient colonnade realised during the
second half of the Second century BC thanks to the censor Lucio
Betilieno Varo.
The colonnade was necessary to connect the Acropolis to the Forum,
precisely where today there is the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. During
the Middle Age, the Acropolis lost, but only in part, its functions of holy
area, it was fortified in order to defend the local population and it
eventually became part of the residential zone. On the top of the
Acropolis there is the Saint Paul's Cathedral, built on an ancient temple
around the Tenth century. During the centuries it has been rebuilt
numerous times and its current aspect dates back to the last
reconstruction that took place around the Nineteenth century. On the
inside there are the relics of San Sisto Papa, patron Saint of the city,
and the ones of Sister Maria Cimatti.
The main attraction of the Saint Paul's Cathedral is the Incarnated Host,
a particular Eucharistic relic that miraculously transformed into human
f
lesh by the end of 1227. This miracle is also illustrated on the walls of
the Cathedral.