Minnesota bishop fires back after Mayor Frey knocks prayer in wake of massacre

Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron sharply criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for dismissing calls for prayer following Wednesday’s deadly Catholic school shooting, calling the mayor’s remarks “completely asinine.”

“Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering. After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying,” Barron told Fox News Digital.

The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis killed two children and injured 18 other people during a morning Mass, according to police. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the bureau is investigating the attack as both a possible act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

Investigators said the gunman left anti-religious writings in his manifesto and scrawled similar messages on his firearms.

MEDIA MOCKERY OF PRAYER, ‘SUBTLE SMEARS’ AGAINST CHRISTIANITY MARKS COVERAGE OF NASHVILLE MASSACRE

At a press conference after the tragedy, Frey criticized those calling for prayer.

“Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying,” he said. “It was the first week of school – they were in a church.”

His remarks echoed those of some Democratic officials and liberal media figures who disparaged faith-based responses to the tragedy.

Barron, an influential Catholic leader who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, argued that critics misunderstand the role of prayer.

“Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, which strikes me as altogether appropriate precisely at times of great pain,” he said. “And prayer by no means stands in contrast to decisive moral action. Martin Luther King was a man of deep prayer, who also effected a social revolution in our country. This is not an either/or proposition.”

Barron also said the massacre should be recognized for what it was: a deliberate act of anti-Catholic violence.

LIBERAL FIGURES LAMBAST ‘PRAYERS’ IN WAKE OF MINNESOTA CHURCH SHOOTING

“In the past seven years in our country, there has been a 700% increase in violent acts against Christians and Christian churches. Worldwide, Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion. That people are even wondering whether the tragedy in Minneapolis is an instance of anti-Catholic violence is puzzling to me,” he told Fox News Digital.

“If someone attacked a synagogue while congregants were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an antisemitic act? If someone shot up a mosque while the devout were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an anti-Islamic attack? So, why would we even hesitate to say that a maniac shooting into a Catholic Church while children are at prayer was committing an anti-Catholic act?” he asked.

The conservative Family Research Council has also documented a rise in hostility toward churches. A report released this month found at least 415 attacks against 383 churches in 43 states in 2024.

Barron said he would not hesitate to call the two children slain during Mass “martyrs,” describing their deaths as a tragic but powerful witness of faith.

KAROLINE LEAVITT CALLS PSAKI’S PRAYER COMMENTS ‘UTTERLY DISRESPECTFUL’ AFTER MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL SHOOTING

He acknowledged the tragedy raises deep questions about evil, but pointed to the gospel’s message of hope even in suffering.

“We know that God is all-good and all-powerful, and yet we also know that there are wicked people in the world who do terrible things. And so we must say that the just and merciful God permits some evils so as to bring about a good that we might not be able immediately to see. God is faithful in his love, but the ways of his providence are often inscrutable to us. We also know that, in Jesus, God journeyed all the way to the bottom of our suffering, accepting, as St. Paul said, ‘even death, death on a cross.’ We cannot always understand why God permits evil, but we know for sure that he accompanies us in our suffering,” he said.

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, also defended prayer in a post on X directed at MSNBC host Jen Psaki.

WHO IS ROBIN WESTMAN, SUSPECT IN ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS?

“We pray because our hearts are broken. We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action,” Vance wrote. “Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”

A spokesperson for Frey’s office defended his comments in a statement to Fox News Digital: “The mayor has always said that thoughts and prayers alone are not enough. They must be paired with action and solutions. One doesn’t negate the other — but year after year, students are murdered by gun violence. Enough is enough. We must do more.”

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Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection revoked by Trump, spokesperson says

A spokesperson for Kamala Harris confirmed to Fox News on Friday that the former vice president’s Secret Service protection has been revoked by President Donald Trump.

The spokesperson added that there was no reason given as to why it was removed.

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that vice presidents usually have a Secret Service detail for only six months after departing office.

A source briefed on the matter also told Fox News that the decision to revoke Harris’ Secret Service protection was made yesterday and that is when the Secret Service was notified.

KAMALA HARRIS FUNDRAISING EVENTS HAVE BEEN A FLOP TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR DNC: REPORT

Former President Joe Biden signed an executive memorandum before leaving office which extended Harris’ protection for an additional year after the normal six months that former vice presidents received in the past.

On Thursday, Trump rescinded that memorandum and Harris’ Secret Service protection officially ends on Sept. 1.

KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK PROMOTION PUSH SKEWERED ONLINE AS ‘NATIONWIDE COMEDY TOUR’

The move comes as Harris is set to kick off a tour for her upcoming book “107 Days” in late September.

The tour is scheduled to visit major American cities in its opening days, including New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

The Secret Service says on its website that after former presidents leave office, they get security details for themselves and their spouses for life, “unless they decline protection.”

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Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff had his Secret Service protection removed in July, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Wealthy enclave’s sewage reveals cocaine levels far above national norm in new testing

The sewage in New England’s exclusive Nantucket retreat is full of cocaine, according to local authorities, who this summer began testing it to monitor potential drug use in a popular summer getaway for the rich and powerful.

“During COVID, a lot of these communities, and most communities, decided that it was important for them to start testing the water to see if there were any spikes in COVID in the region.” said Randolph Rice, a Maryland attorney and legal analyst. “But what Nantucket has now decided to do as of the beginning of the summer is to actually start testing for other types of substances, particularly drugs, nicotine and other items…within the system there. And what they’re finding is that there is a high level of cocaine.”

The testing, conducted at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility on Nantucket, found cocaine levels about 50% higher than the national average, according to publicly posted data from local authorities. The same tests found below-average levels of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid blamed for overdoses around the country.

Local health officials announced the wastewater testing program would begin earlier this summer. The island’s treatment plant serves about three-quarters of local homes, which authorities said would give them access to “island-wide trends without identifying individuals or neighborhoods” – protecting privacy while giving health officials a glimpse into what’s going on behind closed doors.

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While results have bounced up and down since testing began at the start of summer, the most recent findings showed just under 1,500 nanograms per liter (ng/L) of cocaine at Surfside, compared to a national average of 1,000 and an average across the rest of the Northeastern U.S. of just 900.

Nicotine content hovered around the regional average of less than 4,000 ng/L, below the national average of 4,500. Fentanyl content was far lower – measuring below 5 ng/L, compared to a national average of 15.

The program tests for various drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and other opioids, as well as xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that authorities have warned is increasingly being found mixed in with other drugs.

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$20M WORTH OF COCAINE, MARIJUANA INTERCEPTED BY COAST GUARD

Xylazine testing came back with results lower than the minimum observable level. Methamphetamine barely registered.

WATCH: Former DEA agent warns wealthy party towns are now ‘fertile ground’ for fentanyl danger

“What’s shocking is that there is a low level of trace items,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “For example, there is very little fentanyl or xylazine, which is also referred to as ‘tranq.’ Oftentimes, these substances are added to [drugs] to make them more potent, but they also make them deadly. So what it’s telling us in Nantucket, is they’re getting the pure stuff.”

Back in May, local authorities announced what local outlets described as the largest cocaine-related drug bust in Nantucket history.

The suspect was identified as Francisco Fernandez Sanchez, a green card holder from the Dominican Republic, the Nantucket Current reported. He allegedly had more than 5 1/2 pounds of the drug when police searched his residence – worth an estimated $250,000 on the street.

David Katz, a former DEA special agent, told Fox News Digital that the contamination could have come from someone flushing a large amount of drugs to evade authorities.

“We used to shut the water off before we did search warrants because of that same thing,” he said.

Another possibility, he added, would be smaller but frequent flushes from cocaine users as the drug leaves their system in the bathroom.

The latter scenario seems more likely to Rice, he said, because the testing was conducted repeatedly throughout the summer, not just in one go after any particular incident.

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“To have consistent days, a consistent test with that level of cocaine spikes, it seems to be that it’s coming from the zip code and the high level of use by its residents and visitors,” he said.

Common daily vitamin shown to slow aging process over four-year period

Previous research has linked a common vitamin to a slowdown in aging — and now a new Harvard study appears to confirm those findings.

The study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that taking a daily vitamin D pill prevented telomeres from shortening, a hallmark of aging.

Telomeres, which are often compared to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, act as “protective ends” on chromosome strands, according to a Harvard press release.

COMMON DAILY VITAMIN COULD SLOW BIOLOGICAL AGING, MAJOR STUDY SUGGESTS

As people age, telomeres get shorter, which can increase the likelihood of poor health and mortality, prior studies have shown.

Research has also suggested that higher levels of vitamin D in the blood is linked to longer telomeres.

In this latest randomized trial, approximately 1,000 people aged 50 and older were divided into two groups — one group took 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D pills each day, and the other group took placebo pills.

After a four-year period, the people taking vitamin D showed less than half of the telomere shortening than the placebo group.

The vitamin D group also had fewer autoimmune diseases and reduced inflammation markers.

COMMON VITAMIN SHOWN TO REDUCE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Lead study author JoAnn Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the findings “suggest a promising role for vitamin D in slowing a pathway for biological aging and age-related chronic disease.”

While the researchers were surprised that vitamin D was linked to such substantial protection against telomere shortening, Manson told Fox News Digital, the findings are consistent with previous evidence.

“Vitamin D tamps down inflammation, a major cause of telomere shortening and chronic diseases of aging,” she said. 

Vitamin D recommendations

The question of what constitutes an “adequate” blood level of vitamin D is a “controversial topic,” according to Manson. 

In the study, the team found that 2000 IU per day was “very safe,” without side effects or adverse events. 

TO STAY HEALTHY, EAT MORE FOODS WITH VITAMIN D, NUTRITION EXPERT ADVISES

“Blood levels for deficiency and recommended blood levels vary across organizations, labs and countries, which is one of the reasons for doubt about the test’s usefulness,” Manson said. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and most professional societies in the U.S. do not recommend universal screening for vitamin D blood levels or routine use of vitamin D supplements, the researcher pointed out. 

“Vitamin D tamps down inflammation, a major cause of telomere shortening and chronic diseases of aging.”

“The National Academy of Medicine recommends 600 IU of vitamin D per day for adults up to age 70 and 800 IU above age 70, stating that these intakes will meet the requirements of the large majority of adults in the population,” she said. 

“However, recent guidelines from the Endocrine Society suggest that vitamin D supplements may be helpful for adults aged 75 and older, infants and children, pregnant women, and those with a diagnosis of prediabetes, but they don’t specify a specific dose.”

For anyone who has concerns about getting adequate vitamin D from their diet and/or time outdoors, Manson said that supplementation with 1000 to 2000 IU/day of vitamin D would be “very reasonable.”

“In the U.S., foods such as dairy products, cereal and orange juice are often fortified with vitamin D, so checking nutrition labels can help you make better decisions about which foods to purchase,” she advised. 

“Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines and tuna, and wild mushrooms are other sources.”

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Groups at high risk for vitamin D deficiency include those living in nursing homes, people with malabsorption conditions like Crohn’s or celiac disease, those being treated for osteoporosis or other bone health problems, and those with major dietary restrictions, such as severe lactose intolerance, according to Manson. 

“[People in these groups] should talk with their doctors about being tested for vitamin D blood levels and taking a vitamin D supplement,” she recommended.

The doctor noted that people need only small to moderate amounts of vitamin D for good health, as the vitamin’s metabolism is “tightly regulated” in the body. 

“More is not necessarily better, and very high doses — such as more than 10,000 IU/d — may be associated with high blood or urine calcium levels and toxicity,” she cautioned. 

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Manson emphasized that taking a supplement is not a substitute for a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle. 

“Although it’s much easier to pop a pill than to be physically active outdoors and eat healthfully, these lifestyle factors will do more to keep you healthy and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases of aging,” she said.

“More is not necessarily better.”

Going out for a 15-minute walk a few times a week at midday will typically provide enough sunlight exposure for the skin to synthesize vitamin D, Manson added.

“Even more important for your health would be to exercise outdoors, such as brisk walking, jogging or playing sports.”

Looking ahead to future research

“Although the results are exciting, we believe that replication of these results in a separate randomized trial will be important before changing general guidelines for vitamin D intake,” said Manson.

The study was supported in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

Carville erupts over DNC’s indigenous land acknowledgment: Purpose is to ‘win elections’

Veteran strategist James Carville blasted the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Thursday for opening its Minneapolis meeting with a “land acknowledgment” that he said accused the United States of systemic suppression — calling it the kind of gesture that costs Democrats elections.

Lindy Sowmick, treasurer of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a self-described “Indigenous queer woman,” opened the acknowledgment by honoring the Dakota Oyate as the original stewards of Minneapolis land for thousands of years before colonization. She pointed to a legacy of broken treaties and promises, adding, “In many ways, we still live in a system built to suppress Indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual history.”

Carville spoke about the display on his “Politics War Room” podcast with co-host Al Hunt, lamenting that the Democratic Party did not seem to have learned from recent defeats. 

DNC CHAIR DEMANDS DEMS STOP ‘BRINGING A PENCIL TO A KNIFE FIGHT’ AT FIERY SUMMER MEETING

Carville has long criticized Democrats’ embrace of wokeness and said it contributed to their 2024 election loss. 

“Lady, you’re right, what we did to the Native Americans has really been well documented. It is a sad part of our nation’s history,” he said, before suddenly shouting, “Why are you bringing this up in an election!?”

JAMES CARVILLE SUGGESTS ‘SPLIT’ WITH THE LEFT OVER ‘PRONOUN POLITICS’ 

Carville argued that America has all kinds of dark history, but emphasized, “This is an election, and the DNC is not the place to discuss this. Understand this, the DNC does not exist to right wrongs. It doesn’t exist to acknowledge the more unpleasant parts of history. It doesn’t exist to make people feel good. It exists — just get it through your head —to win elections.”

“Now do you think that is going to help us win elections, say, like we did in Iowa?” the strategist asked.

CARVILLE DEMANDS DEMS ‘KICK THE S— OUT OF’ JD VANCE OVER ‘MARTHA’S VINEYARD OF ENGLAND’ VACATION

“Please stop this, in the name of a just, merciful God,” Carville pleaded. “Don’t you see what’s happening? Don’t you see where this has brought us to? For God’s sake, lady. And what is [DNC chairman] Ken Martin doing, doing that? You don’t have but one job, kid! It’s to win!”

Carville argued that while the activist who made the acknowledgment may be a perfectly nice person in real life, “that has nothing to do with it. You’re supposed to try to win f—ing elections!”

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The DNC’s national party convention in Chicago, held ahead of the 2024 election, also included a “land acknowledgment.” During that recitation, the speakers blamed the U.S. government for “forcibly remov[ing]” tribal people from their land.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC and Sowmick but did not receive an immediate reply.

Cracker Barrel chief executive pictured publicly amid logo controversy

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino was spotted throughout the day on Thursday in Tennessee, marking the first time the executive has been pictured in public since the restaurant chain’s controversial logo change sparked widespread backlash.

The Cracker Barrel chief executive was seen leaving her home in the affluent, suburban Nashville neighborhood of Green Hills on Thursday morning. Green Hills is located a little more than 30 miles west of Cracker Barrel’s headquarters in Lebanon, Tennessee. Photos show Masino driving a gray Mercedes-Benz – trailed by a security guard in a separate car – as she makes her way to Starbucks to pick up some breakfast before work.

Sporting a black shirt, dark gray pants, white sneakers and wearing a fanny pack across her chest, photos show Masino walking away from the coffee chain while carrying two Starbucks drinks and a food item. She is trailed on foot by her security detail, who dons a bright blue shirt. 

CRACKER BARREL’S CEO DISMISSED WARNINGS FROM A TOP INVESTOR WHO CALLED THE REBRANDING ‘OBVIOUS FOLLY’

Masino arrived at one of the corporate offices of Maple Street Biscuit Company in Brentwood shortly before 9 a.m. on Friday, rather than working from Cracker Barrel’s headquarters in Lebanon. Maple Street Biscuit Company was acquired by Cracker Barrel in October 2019 for $36 million in an all-cash transaction.

As Masino made her way back to her car, FOX Business approached her for an interview, asking questions about the logo change and what’s next for the Southern country-themed chain, but was ignored by the chief executive, who was on the phone. Masino went straight to her vehicle and into her driver’s seat before promptly driving away as her security guard trailed in his car.

Masino has been tight-lipped since unveiling a controversial new Cracker Barrel logo, as has the company’s board, that eliminated its long-standing “Old Timer” – a move the company announced this week it was backtracking on.

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Founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969, Cracker Barrel unveiled its new logo last week as part of its new branding campaign – doing away with the image of a man resting on a barrel in favor of a text-only logo for the first time since 1977. On Tuesday, the company announced that it would drop its new logo and keep the “Old Timer” in place.

The restaurant’s attempt to modernize its logo occurred as the company’s leadership has been working to confront the chain’s declining financial performance. Masino launched a transformation project a year ago aimed at boosting sales and energizing its customer base as the brand faced stagnation. The attempted logo rebrand was part of that effort.

The company’s market value plunged over $100 million in the wake of the rebranding. 

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Masino joined the restaurant chain as CEO in July 2023 and the company’s board of directors several months later. 

Man deported by Trump admin fights ‘prejudicial’ remarks in court

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday to prohibit top Trump officials from making remarks about their client that could bias the jury against him.

His defense team said that administration officials have repeatedly accused Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national facing human smuggling charges, of being a criminal gang member and made other negative claims about him that pose a “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding.”

The attorneys pointed to numerous recent instances, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling Abrego Garcia an “MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.”

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION, EXTENDING COURT FIGHT

“She also called Mr. Abrego a ‘monster,’” the attorneys wrote.

This is the second time Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have asked the judge to rein in statements from the administration. Judge Waverly Crenshaw previously responded by reminding the government to follow all typical rules and procedures for prosecutions, which include barring prosecutors from making prejudicial statements outside of court.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys asked Crenshaw, an Obama appointee, to bar Department of Homeland Security officials, Department of Justice officials and anyone else involved with the case from making such statements.

Abrego Garcia was erroneously deported by the Trump administration to a prison in El Salvador in March. The government claimed for nearly two months in combative hearings and court papers that it could not return him, despite an order from the Supreme Court to attempt to do so.

The Salvadoran migrant entered the country illegally more than a decade ago, but an immigration judge previously barred the government from sending him back to El Salvador, citing his fears of persecution if he were sent there. Abrego Garcia was however eligible to be deported to other countries.

ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT

In a surprise move in June, the DOJ returned Abrego Garcia to the United States and brought an indictment against him for two counts of conspiring to transport illegal immigrants within the country.

He was released from jail last week while he awaits trial, but immigration authorities promptly re-detained him in Maryland, fulfilling fears previously expressed in court by Abrego Garcia and his lawyers.

In a separate civil case in Maryland, a judge has barred the government from deporting Abrego Garcia until at least October. It is unlikely that the DOJ would need to prove its criminal case against Abrego Garcia if he is deported.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have said that since he was released, the Trump administration’s attacks on their client outside of court have only worsened.

His defense team noted how Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, appeared on television on Fox News this week and called Abrego Garcia “a gang member, terrorist, wife beater, pedophile, human trafficker [and] alien smuggler.” Abrego Garcia was accused by his wife in 2020 of beating her. He is not facing human trafficking charges, and he has denied all the allegations against him.

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“The substance of these statements, like the countless other statements highlighted in prior briefs before this Court, clearly violates [prosecutorial rules] and prejudices Mr. Abrego’s right to a fair trial,” the attorneys wrote.

They asked that if Crenshaw did not want to put restrictions on Trump officials’ speech, then the judge should, in the alternative, require the government to explain how it has complied with prosecution rules.

Cowboys players express shock as Micah Parsons is traded to Packers in major deal

Micah Parsons is officially a member of the Green Bay Packers, and members of the Dallas Cowboys are just as stunned as the rest of the NFL world.  

Parsons’ tense contract situation with the Cowboys led to a trade request that owner and general manager Jerry Jones actually fulfilled, sending him to the Packers in a deal that included Green Bay’s 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and All-Pro defensive tackle Kenny Clark. 

The Packers also reportedly gave Parsons a massive four-year, $188 million contract extension, which makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league by a good margin. 

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But, as you’d expect, Cowboys players were shocked to see the news, including wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who posted a crying emoji on his Instagram Stories with the NFL’s post on the trade. 

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs also posted a broken-heart emoji on X, as the two defensive players were close during their time together on the Cowboys. Diggs added another tweet, though, congratulating Parsons on his new deal and a new chapter of his NFL career despite having to be opponents now. 

“Best In The World!” he wrote on X, tagging Parsons. “Congratulations to my brother!”

Safety Juanyeh Thomas said, “Damn…” with a broken-heart emoji and a GIF of Steve Harvey that shows how he feels.

Receiver KaVontae Turpin also shared his initial thoughts on the trade. 

“Yeah this league s— crazy lol,” Turpin stated on X. 

While Cowboys players reacted to the reports, Parsons confirmed the trade himself before the team eventually did, posting a thank-you video on his X account. He also delivered a statement, where he stated that he “never wanted this chapter to end.”

“Not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote in his statement. “My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”

COWBOYS OWNER JERRY JONES: MICAH PARSONS TRADE GIVES TEAM ‘CHANCE TO BE BETTER’ THAN RECENT YEARS

Parsons requested a trade earlier this month while contract talks continued to stall. He made a previous statement saying he “no longer” wished to be in Dallas, but fans of “America’s Team” were hoping it was simply a negotiation tactic. 

But Jones, despite saying that he wasn’t thinking about trading Parsons, made the deal to move on from the 26-year-old star. 

Parsons, who grew up a Cowboys fan in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, thanked fans for their support over the last four years. 

“From the moment I arrived in Dallas, you embraced me and my family as your own. You made a kid from the east coast feel right at home in Texas. Every time I pulled up to work, every time I stepped onto that field, I felt the weight and pride of representing you. You didn’t just give me a jersey, you gave me a place to belong,” Parsons wrote.

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“North Texas will continue to be my home in the offseason. I’ll still be here, giving back to the community that gave me so much. And no matter where the next chapter takes me, the bond we’ve built will never break. Thank you, Cowboys Nation, for every cheer, every moment, and every ounce of love you showed me. Wearing the star has been the honor of my life.”

Medieval castle hits market with secret price tag and major catch

A medieval castle has hit the market near one of Italy’s busiest cities, though it comes with a few caveats.

The Castle of Landriano, listed by Sotheby’s International Realty, is roughly 15 miles southeast of Milan.

The Lombardy castle dates back to the 11th century. It boasts 10 bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms and spans more than 102,000 square feet.

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Diletta Giorgolo, head of residential at Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, told Fox News Digital the castle “has very ancient origins.”

Archaeological finds from the 6th century, she said, have been uncovered on the property.

“The first written mention of the castle itself dates to 1037, when Emperor Conrad II destroyed it during his war against Milan,” Giorgolo said.

The medieval elements, including a central courtyard, towers and fortified gates, were built between the 11th and 13th centuries.

“It is not just a property – it is a 1,000-year-old chapter of European history waiting to be reborn.”

In 1531, the castle was transformed from a military fortress into a Renaissance residence. 

That renovation added frescoed halls, a grand staircase and refined residential features.

The structure also played a role in the 1529 Battle of Landriano, Giorgolo added, which was part of the War of the League of Cognac.

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“Visitors can still see medieval arches in terracotta, Gothic windows, and Renaissance courtyards with Tuscan columns,” she said. 

“Inside are remarkable spaces such as the Hall of the Amorini, the Hall of Music, and the Taverna family’s private Studiolo, with frescoes attributed to the Tibaldi school.”

The property even features a moat fed by the Lambro River. Giorgolo confirmed that the listing is a once-in-a-century type of opportunity. 

“Castles of this scale, so close to Milan and Pavia, very rarely come to market,” the expert said.

“Many comparable castles are either ruins or have long been incorporated into public heritage.”

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But the castle comes with two catches: The price is under wraps for now, and it will require a full restoration. 

Keeping the price confidential is standard practice for protected Italian heritage properties.

“Although the property requires a complete restoration, it remains a sleeping giant – one of the few opportunities to acquire and revive such a significant piece of European history,” Giorgolo emphasized.

“The castle embodies nearly 1,000 years of history layered into its walls.”

The castle is “wrapped in folklore.”

As an added twist, the castle is also “wrapped in folklore,” according to Giorgolo.

“A local legend tells of Giannetta, a 16th-century herbalist accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake in the square outside the castle. Locals still whisper that her voice and shadow haunt the halls,” she noted.

So the castle tells “two parallel stories.”

“[It tells] the grand narrative of emperors, dukes, and decisive battles, and the everyday memory of myths and beliefs that have survived through the centuries,” she said. 

“It is not just a property – it is a 1,000-year-old chapter of European history waiting to be reborn.”

The Castle of Landriano opportunity comes as other historic European estates hit the market.

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St. John’s Jerusalem, a medieval monastery in England once used by crusader monks, was also recently listed for sale. 

The 12th-century property is listed in the range of £3.25 million (roughly $4.4 million) for a lease ending in 2122.