The Castello di Santo Stefano is an important coastal fortress outside the city of Monopoli in the Italian region of Apulia. Throughout the Middle Ages it was an essential component of the city's complex and articulated defense system.
The castle, which was built in 1086 at the behest of Goffredo, Count of Conversano, is located on a peninsula between two bays of the Adriatic Sea that form two small natural harbors. Since there is a fresh water spring there, a Benedictine monastery settled there; the friars gave the castle its name because there was a relic of St. Benedict there, which was brought from Monopoli to Putignano on December 26, 1365 to protect it against the constant attacks of the Turks and pirates To defend.
Around the end of the 13th century the Johanniter decided to go to the abbey relocate by re-fortifying the old coastal fortress. They created a moat that is still visible today and prepared the bays on both the left and right of the monastery fortress for ships to dock. In practice, in the time of the Greeks or the Greek Orient, the monastery fortress became a necessary stop for those traveling by ship from Bari to Brindisi. In addition to having two bays for mooring, there was the possibility of repairing several ships at the same time and equipping them with everything they needed for the journey to the Holy Land. The surrounding area was incorporated into the chapter of Monopoli Cathedral in the 13th and 14th centuries. With this voluntary annexation, the abbey with the lands and the castle was the first city in Apulia to come under the administration of Bourbon-Sicily.
The building has a quadrangular plan and has a large courtyard inside, with an old well. There are a few parts which date back to the Middle Ages, such as the altar and the portal of the church, of the 13th century, with a precious low-relief in the lunette which represents the Saints Stefano and Giorgio.
References:Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.
The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.