Castell de Rocabertí: Medieval Rock Castle Above La Jonquera
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.9
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Crown of Aragon
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page9 sections
History
Castell de Rocabertí is a ruined medieval castle above La Jonquera in Girona, Spain. It was first mentioned in 948, although the fortress appears to have been established considerably earlier. Built on a strategically placed crag overlooking the passes of Le Perthus and Panissars, it became the center of the Viscounty of Rocabertí, a medieval territorial lordship governed by the Rocabertí family.
The Rocabertí lordship
The castle belonged to the Rocabertí lineage until the family acquired Peralada in the mid-thirteenth century. Its position made it a focus of competition among medieval Catalan countships, which sought control of important fortresses and routes. During a serious conflict with Ramon Berenguer IV, the twelfth-century Count of Barcelona, Ponç Hug I, Count of Empúries, seized Castell de Rocabertí. Ramon Berenguer IV later recovered it and compelled Ponç Hug to renew his homage in a peace agreement of 1138. The settlement required the demolition of Castell de Rocabertí, while Ponç Hug was required to demolish Quermançó Castle.
The chronicler Ramon Muntaner later recorded that James I, the thirteenth-century king of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, was invited to stay at the castle by Dalmau V of Rocabertí. The fortress also played an important part in the Battle of the Panissars Pass in 1285. In 1288, a French army serving James II of Majorca briefly occupied it during an invasion of the Empordà.
Late medieval decline
Castell de Rocabertí was fortified again in 1462 against the threat of another French invasion, and two towers were built on the flanks of its wall. By this time, however, the castle was already in very poor condition and may have lost its strategic importance. It did not recover that role after the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 ended the Franco-Spanish War and established a new frontier through the Pyrenees, including the Albera range.
A hoard of coins belonging to the counts of Besalú and Roussillon was found at the castle in 1869. The ruins are protected under Spanish historical-heritage provisions from 1949 and 1988, and Catalonia’s 1993 Cultural Heritage Law classifies the site as a Cultural Asset of National Interest and a historical monument.
Legends of Rocabertí
Local tradition connects the castle with simiots, fantastic beings in Catalan folklore that were half human and half animal. In one story, they expelled a traveler after interpreting his use of breath to warm his fingers and cool hot broth as evidence of witchcraft.
Another legend places water women or fairies at the castle. These magical female beings were said to be skilled spinners who gave mortals a spindle that produced endless thread. After an insult, the spindle, thread, and sewn objects supposedly melted and vanished. A further tale tells of the ghost of a castle lady called the “bad mother,” who is said to wander at Rocabertí after killing her two children because they obstructed her love for a young man.
Remains
Castell de Rocabertí occupies a steep, conical granite crag above La Jonquera. The small fortress was adapted to the irregular rock and the limited space on the summit, with the village below and the ruins visible from it. The entrance lay on the eastern side, where the slope is least steep, and was approached by a staircase cut into the rock. Differences in the masonry across the complex reveal several construction phases.
Entrance and defensive structures
Rock-cut entrance
The entrance portal is made from small, relatively rough-cut ashlar blocks. Ashlar is masonry formed from stone blocks cut into regular faces and courses. The portal may date from the eleventh century, and its position on the eastern approach reflects the more accessible slope of the hill.
Tower and interior rooms
A substantial section of a triangular tower survives to considerable height. It was built with well-cut, high-quality ashlar masonry. Elsewhere, three rooms retain traces of their vaults, while a cistern was excavated directly into the rock, providing a water-storage feature within the confined hilltop fortress.
Chapel of Saint Roman
A chapel dedicated to Saint Roman stood at the northwestern end of the castle and probably dates from the twelfth century. Only the southern wall and the southern half of its semicircular apse survive. An apse is the rounded end of a church or chapel. These remains were built from large, carefully squared stone blocks and are preserved only to a low height.
