Castle of Venus


Castle of Venus is a medieval fortress in Erice, built around the site of an ancient sanctuary of Venus Erycina at the summit of Monte Erice in western Sicily.
It stands on an isolated rocky outcrop at the south-eastern edge of the summit plateau of the mountain, separated from the town by a rock-cut ditch and overlooking the surrounding countryside and the Tyrrhenian coastline.

History

A temple dedicated to the goddess of fertility and love stood on the castle rock from at least the 5th century BCE. Originally associated with the Elymians, and later identified with Astarte, Aphrodite, and Venus, the sanctuary of Venus Erycina became renowned throughout the Mediterranean. A Roman coin from 57 BCE depicts the sanctuary as a small tetrastyle temple set on a rocky summit within a walled precinct, suggesting how the shrine was imagined in Roman iconography.
Ancient authors emphasise both the prestige of the sanctuary and the presence of its attendants. Strabo describes the temple of Aphrodite at Eryx as once “full of female temple-slaves” dedicated from Sicily and abroad, though their numbers had declined by his day, while Cicero testifies to the wealth and renown of Venus Erycina. Roman administration further placed the sanctuary under the collective care of seventeen Sicilian cities and established a special military corps of some 200 soldiers, the Venerii, to guard the temple and the town.
Modern topographical speculation has sought to locate traces of these personnel within Erice: Matteo Tusa has proposed that the area of the Church of San Pietro, elevated above the surrounding ground, may have served as the garrison seat of the Venerii, while finds reported along Via San Francesco—including inscribed bricks with female names—have been interpreted as possible evidence of the dwellings of the temple’s female attendants.
The present fortress was constructed in the 12th century under Norman rule, when much of western Sicily was being fortified. Built over the remains of the ancient sanctuary, it incorporated spolia from the earlier temple of Venus. Within the castle precinct the small church of Santa Maria della Neve was established, reflecting the Christianisation of the former sacred site.
Medieval Arabic sources attest to the strategic importance and strong fortification of the mountaintop site. The 12th-century traveller and geographer Ibn Jubayr referred to the mountain as Jabal Hamid and described a formidable fortress controlling access to the summit, noting that it was considered crucial to the defence of the island. He recorded that the stronghold was equipped with defensive works including bridges that could be severed in times of danger, ditches separating adjacent summits, and facilities used as refuge for civilians during attacks.
Under Spanish rule, a new barracks complex was begun but abandoned in 1632; thereafter the Spanish garrison was housed in the castle. The fortress later served as a prison before falling into disuse.

Architecture and features

The Castle of Venus displays a mix of elements from different periods. Notable features include:
  • Entrance front: the west façade retains Guelph battlements and an entrance with a machicolation, a mullioned window, and the coat of arms of Charles V above the portal.
  • "Well of Venus": a circular pit traditionally identified as the goddess’s pool was most likely a capacious grain silo, not a water well.
  • Building materials from the sanctuary: within the courtyard are Ionic column drums, frieze fragments and other architectural pieces, indicating reuse of materials from the ancient sacred precinct.
  • Santa Maria della Neve: remains of a small medieval church inside the precinct, generally linked to the Norman phase of occupation.
  • Colombaia: a tower-like dovecote built into the fortified walls. In antiquity, the sanctuary of Venus Erycina was associated with sacred doves, and ancient authors describe the festivals of the Anagogia and Katagogia, when flocks of pigeons were said to depart from and later return to the goddess’ temple.
  • Roman baths: remains of a small Roman-period bath installation identified during excavations in 1930–31.
Access to the castle is by a stone ramp that replaced a drawbridge once linking the fortress to the Balio Towers; the ramp was built in the 16th century, filling the ditch between the lower fortified area and the rock summit.

Excavations

Archaeological excavations were conducted in the 1930s by the Cultural Heritage Office of Trapani. These investigations focused on identifying remains of the ancient sanctuary. More recent studies have found Greek pottery and burial areas, supporting the site's long-standing religious function.

Modern use

The Castle of Venus is open to the public as a historic monument and is among the venues designated by the municipality of Erice for civil wedding ceremonies. This modern ceremonial use reflects the site’s long association with the ancient cult of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and fertility.
A restoration project funded by the Sicilian regional government was completed in 2025. The initiative included structural stabilisation and the adaptation of interior spaces for potential museum use, alongside improvements to accessibility and visitor infrastructure.