Porta Filiamabili

At the south-western corner of Sulmona's first ring of walls, Porta Filiamabili is the best-preserved survivor of the city's earliest defences. Its pointed Gothic arch, barrel-vaulted passage and surviving door hinges preserve the form of a medieval gate.

Why it matters

The gate is first mentioned in a document of 1196. Its name is linked to the medieval Amabili family, and the visible Gothic structure is dated to the 14th century. When the second wall circuit expanded the city's perimeter around 1300, a new gate at the foot of the approach took over its defensive role.

What to notice

Regular ashlar blocks frame the pointed arch, whose moulded cornice rests above carved corbels and squared jambs. The passage is covered by a barrel vault; the upper storey once served as an armoury. A small hunting-scene relief is set into the inner face of the right jamb, and the hinges of the double doors remain. Later floors and adjoining houses show how the gate became incorporated into the surrounding block.

Context and history

References to people called Amabile appear as early as 1109, and a 1320 cathedral archive document names a canon called Amabile de' figli Amabili. The name Filiamabili is derived from Filiorum Amabilis, or the sons of Amabile; the suggestion that members of the family financed repairs is an interpretation rather than a documented certainty. The gate was also known by other names, including di Donata Sciamuel, delle capre and Mancini. The late-13th- and early-14th-century expansion of Sulmona's walls altered its role, while later building works lowered and partly enclosed it.