Until the 17th century, the Porta di Borgheriglia in Montefiascone was known under the name Porta Romana. It is one of the oldest entrance gates into the city. Its current version dates back to the early 18th century and was designed by Giovan Battista Origoni.
Porta di Borgheriglia Montefiascone
Useful information
The exterior of the gate faces the Piazza Luigi Boccadoro, while the Via Trento and the Via XXIV Maggio start just inside.
History and description
The Porta di Borgheriglia used to be the entrance to the city for people arriving from Rome, which explains its original name. The present name was probably coined when the Spanish Cardinal Egidio Albornoz stayed in Montefiascone and derives from the Spanish bórgorilla (“little village” or “hamlet”).
Egidio Albornoz (1310-1367) was a cardinal, but also a politician and a military man, who had been sent to Italy to restore papal power. In several cities in Umbria (Narni, Spoleto, Orvieto) and in nearby Viterbo, there are still fortresses built by the cardinal.
In 1702, Cardinal Barbarigo had the gate reconstructed by Giovan Battista Origoni, who was also the original architect of the Seminarium and of the Chiesa del Gesù in Montefiascone.
The volutes are Baroque, while the broken corbel is more characteristic of Renaissance architecture.