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The Porta Reale (1841) stands on Corso Vittorio Emanuele at the entrance to Noto on Sicily, Italy. Noto suffered a devastating earthquake in 1693 and the city's palaces, churches, and public buildings were rebuilt in the purest Baroque style.
Noto
We approach this beautiful Baroque city down a long green, leafy avenue and through the Porta Reale. The triumphal arch was commissioned by the Bourbon king Ferdinand II in 1838. On the top of the gate is the three symbols of the people, a castle or turret for strength, a dog for loyalty, and a pelican for sacrifice. The pelican seems unusual however it was an ancient symbol of the Catholic Church. In times of food scarcity the pelican was believed to feed its young from blood that it had plucked from its own breast. They can also symbolize the king (the castle) the people (the dog) and the church (the pelican).
