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The foundry
This large
room, with a robust barrel vault, situated in the extreme southern part of the
strong sixteenth century walls, was used as a foundry from the mid seventeen
hundreds. Evidence of this can be found in the Plano del Castillo y Ciudad alta y baia de Melazo, a detailed map
of the town - made in around 1756 and
now preserved in Naples - where the adjacent and lower advanced fortification is
indicated with the words «ravelin of the foundry», thanks to its proximity to
the furnace in the centre of the room.
Ancient documents testify to the melting down of artillery within the fortified town, predominantly unusable or broken cannons. In 1615 a foundry was built inside the bastion of St. Maria, where skilled smiths from Tortorici, such as Natale Galbato and Giuliano Musarra, the latter the creator of the magnificent bronze gate made in 1591 for the Sanctuary of the Annunziata in Trapani. Tortorici, a mountain village in the province of Messina, continued its time-old tradition of smelting and casting, particularly of bells, until 1956. The two master-smiths mentioned above were doubtlessly also involved in the casting of bells.
The water necessary
for the process of smelting was provided by a fountain with a semi-circular
basin identical to another in the bastion of the islands (bastione delle Isole).
To this day the fountain still preserves the metal tube from which the water
flowed and a stone drain cover. Water was supplied from an adjoining cistern
visible through two apertures that open onto the terrace. Wood and charcoal
were fed into the base of the furnace that could be reached by descending a
flight of 14 steps.
Both the fountain and the furnace, of which the fire-resistant walls have been lost, have only been visible since 1999, following extensive clearing that - during the restoration of the ancient cathedral - freed this large room of large amounts of earth and detritus.
The foundry
room is embellished with artistic keystones in cut stone that decorated the
portal, the balconies and the windows of Palazzo Carrozza, an aristocratic
building from the XVIIIth century in the lower town (now Via Umberto I),
subsequently used as the Town Hall.
The foundry. Seven men are making canons: one is a fireman working in a room in the back; two finish canons with chisel and hammer (one an almost completed canon, the other - a muzzle); two more men on the observe; the sixth man stands beside a polished cannon holding an oblong object. Metal is streaming from a square hole in the wall in the right central plane. On the left, a big wheel used to drill canons
Ca. 1590, manufactured by Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus (Flemish, active Italy, 1523 – 1605)
«Die XX februarij 1616.
Deputati delli fabrici della fortificattione di questa Città di Milazzo, piacciavi delli denari della gabella di essa fortificattione sumministrar et far pagare la spesa necessaria per fare la fornace atta a posser fondere l’artigliaria nel damuso [volta a botte, ndr] del torrione nominato Santa Maria, loco atto et commodo per simili exercitio [e] reconoxuto per mastro Giuliano Musarra, funditore, conforme al patto contenuto nel contratto fatto per noi con detto di Musarra, funditore, per l’atti di notaro Giovanni Paschali Farina die XVIII° presente mensis februarii XIIII Ind. 1616 a[t]torno al fondere l’artigliaria reventata et inutili di questa Città, ad effetto di poterse in essa fornace fondere detta artigliaria et fabricarne di novo altre pezze designante in detto contratto» (Archivio Storico della Città di Milazzo, Libro degli Atti dei Giurati, anno 1615/16, f. 28v)
«A di XXX di Augusto 1619.
Deputati delli fabrici della fortificattione di questa Città [di Milazzo] vi piacerà delli denari delli introiti della gabella di essa fortificattione paghare seu far paghare a Natali Galbato, regio fonditore, o a suo legittimo procuratore, onze cinque. Quali onze 5 sonno per havere fatto rumpere et spezzare li dui sacri reventati olim funduti per il quondam mastro Giuliano Musarra, funditore [leggasi: due cannoni denominati “sacri” reventati, ossia inutilizzabili, ed un tempo fusi dal fu maestro fonditore Giuliano Musarra, ndr]. Con il mitallo delli quali dui sacri reventati et con altri mitalli consignati a detto di Galbato per il reggio monitionero il detto di Galbato ha funduto et fabricato di novo dui sacri reforzati et quelli ha consignato a Mattia Dominghes, regio monitionero in questa Città di Milazzo, come in apoca [quietanza, ndr] in notaro Francesco Scarpaci oggi il di sudetto XXX di augusto 1619» (Archivio Storico della Città di Milazzo, Libro degli Atti dei Giurati, anno 1618/19, f. 22v)
Small furnace made in the sixteenth
century for breaking up old pieces of artillery for melting down, a job
previously carried out with the use of unwieldy saws. (Luis Collado, Platica manual de artilleria, Milano
1592)
The oldest working bell in Milazzo
in the bell tower of the little church of St. Caterina, in Via Umberto I. It
was cast in 1540 by the master-smith of Tortorici Federico Musarra, who in 1558
melted down a piece of artillery (known as a “bombarda”) destined for the
fortification in Palermo. It is
inscribed with the words “Iesu Maria - Opus Federici Musarra MDXXXX”.
Plano del Castillo y Ciudad alta y baia de Melazo, nearly 1756.
Letter G: Bastion de la funderia (Archivio di Stato di Napoli)
A. Capobianco, Corona e palma militare
