Spanish Quarter
An unfinished 17th-century barracks overlooking Erice's northern slopes.
The Spanish Quarter is a former 17th-century barracks in Erice, built under Spanish rule to house soldiers outside the inhabited centre and today used as a museum and exhibition space.
Key facts
Site type:
Comune:
Barracks, Museum
Erice
District:
Historic centre
The Spanish Quarter occupies a rocky plateau at the northern edge of Erice, overlooking the coast towards Monte Cofano. Construction began during the first half of the 17th century, when Sicily formed part of the Spanish monarchy.
Its origins lay in the obligation known as posata, under which communities were required to provide food and accommodation for soldiers. Rather than billet the garrison within their homes, the people of Erice imposed a tax upon themselves to finance the construction of dedicated barracks outside the main inhabited area.
The project was never completed. Work ceased in 1632 and the troops were instead accommodated at the Castle of Venus, leaving the unfinished building on the northern edge of the town. After centuries of abandonment, the Spanish Quarter was restored in the early 21st century and is now used as a museum and exhibition space.
The site also forms part of the much older archaeological landscape of ancient Eryx.
Excavations in 2002 on the northern slope below the Spanish Quarter revealed an open-air sanctuary dating to the late 6th and early 5th centuries BCE. Centred on a rock-cut ritual pit containing animal remains and offerings, it has been identified as a probable thesmophorion associated with Demeter, providing evidence of religious activity beyond the walls of the ancient city.
Photo: Elymian Atlas
Explore further
The Spanish Quarter occupies a site whose history extends far beyond the 17th-century barracks. Archaeological remains on the slope below reveal part of the sacred landscape of ancient Eryx, while the unfinished building itself preserves evidence of Erice's history under Spanish rule.
The obligation of posata
The decision to construct the Spanish Quarter was a response to the system of posata, which obliged communities to provide lodging and provisions for soldiers stationed in their territory.
Rather than accommodate members of the Spanish garrison within private houses, the inhabitants of Erice raised money through a local tax to construct a purpose-built barracks. The chosen site lay at the northern edge of the town, close to the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate and separated from much of the inhabited centre.
An unfinished barracks
Construction came to an end in 1632 before the planned complex had been completed. The Spanish soldiers were instead quartered in the Castle of Venus, and the unfinished barracks remained largely abandoned.
Its isolated position and long period of disuse subsequently became intertwined with local folklore, particularly the legend of the Red Beret.
The Sanctuary of Demeter
The Spanish Quarter stands above a much older archaeological site. In 2002, investigations on the northern slope below the building revealed a small extra-urban sanctuary dating principally from the late 6th and early 5th centuries BCE. Six exploratory trenches uncovered ancient quarrying and a series of archaeological deposits on the terraced rocky slope.
At the centre of the sanctuary was a ritual pit, or bothros, cut into the bedrock. Its fill contained ash and charcoal together with animal bones — particularly those of pigs and sheep or goats — shells, pottery, lamps, small vessels, terracotta figurines and occasional metal objects. No substantial monumental structures were discovered, suggesting that this was essentially an open-air place of worship.
The character of the finds and the use of the bothros indicate rituals associated with chthonic, or underworld, divinities. Archaeologists have therefore identified the site as a probable thesmophorion, a sanctuary associated with the cult of Demeter.
Demeter was the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain and fertility, closely associated with the cycle of growth and renewal and often worshipped alongside her daughter Persephone. Her cult was widespread in ancient Sicily. One of the principal festivals associated with her was the Thesmophoria, a religious festival celebrated by women and connected with fertility and the agricultural cycle.
Its position beyond the ancient fortifications is particularly significant. The location follows a pattern found at other sanctuaries of Demeter, particularly those associated with the Thesmophoria. The site therefore provides important evidence for organised religious activity beyond the walls of ancient Eryx during the period in which the early city was developing.
Restoration and reuse
The Spanish Quarter remained abandoned until the early 21st century. Structural restoration around 2005 secured the surviving building, which was subsequently assigned to cultural use.
It now functions as an exhibition space, with displays relating to the history, traditional culture and maritime connections of Erice and its surrounding territory.
Legends & mythology
The long abandonment of the Spanish Quarter gave rise to one of Erice's most distinctive ghost stories: the legend of the Red Beret, a supernatural figure said to have haunted the building and the surrounding district.
The Red Beret
According to local tradition, the Spanish Quarter became the haunt of a former Spanish soldier known as the Red Beret (Berretto rosso, or Birrittedda russa in Sicilian). The soldier was said to have committed several murders before being condemned to death and hanged on a gallows in the open space in front of the barracks.
The story tells that the condemned man died unrepentant and was cursed to remain where he had shed innocent blood. His ghost then began terrorising the soldiers in the barracks. At night they supposedly heard howling, gnashing teeth, rushing water, thunder and other terrifying noises, accompanied by strange flames. The disturbances became so severe that the soldiers eventually abandoned the building.
In later versions of the tradition, the story became connected with the former Jewish district of Erice and with tales of ghosts said to have appeared following the expulsion of the town's Jewish community. The Red Beret was portrayed as the terrifying supernatural master of this abandoned quarter.
The legend offered a popular explanation for the ruined and deserted appearance of this part of Erice. The historical reason the Spanish Quarter remained unfinished, however, is much less mysterious: construction was halted in 1632 and the soldiers were instead accommodated at the Castle of Venus.
Sources & further reading
Explore the archaeological research, historical accounts and official sources used to document the Spanish Quarter, the Sanctuary of Demeter and the traditions associated with this site.