Castell de Taradell: A Medieval Defensive Castle in Catalonia
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Crown of Aragon
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Castell de Taradell is a ninth-century defensive and watch castle in Spain, located on the Turó del Castell near Taradell in Catalonia. Its first written reference dates to 893, in the cartulary of Vic Cathedral, and the site later developed under a succession of noble families.
Lordship and castle administration
The castle initially belonged to the lords of Taradell. Its superior lordship, meaning ultimate ownership above the local lords’ usable tenure, was held by the Counts of Barcelona, the medieval ruling house of Barcelona. Count Ramon Borrell gave the castle as part of the dowry of his wife, Ermessenda of Carcassonne. In 1057, Ermessenda sold all her rights to her grandson, Ramon Berenguer I.
The lords of Taradell used the castle for defense and watch but did not live there. Their residence was the Espinzella manor, while the castle was occupied by castlans, subordinate officials responsible for holding and administering a castle for a superior lord. Castlans lived there until the twelfth century, although they apparently soon ceased to reside at the site. Records of the castlans continue until 1406.
Through a marriage alliance, the castle passed to the Vilademany family in 1165. It later came to the Cruïlles in 1500, Perapertusa in 1619, the Viscounts of Joc in 1634, the Counts of Aranda in 1721, and the Dukes of Híjar in 1790.
Loss of strategic importance
Castell de Taradell lost its strategic value during the sixteenth century after the construction of the Torre de la Plaça, or Square Tower, in Taradell in 1550. The castle was progressively abandoned and was recorded as a farmhouse during part of that century. From the seventeenth century onward, it stood in ruins and remained abandoned.
Consolidation works have stabilized the surviving remains. Castell de Taradell is protected as a Cultural Asset of National Interest in Catalonia and was designated a Spanish Asset of Cultural Interest in 1988.
Remains
Rocky summit and surviving layout
The ruins crown a summit of large rocks on the Turó del Castell, at an elevation of 803 metres and about 2.2 kilometres southeast of Taradell. The castle stands above a large rock shelter, which gives the site its distinctive physical character. Its surviving fabric is presently in ruins and has been consolidated.
Former Chapel of Santa Creu
Remains from the tenth and eleventh centuries survive in the area of the former Chapel of Santa Creu. The chapel is now severely damaged, but its surviving remains preserve part of the castle’s early medieval phase.
Fourteenth-century defensive wall
A large wall approximately 70 metres long forms another principal surviving element of the castle. Dating from the fourteenth century, it represents a later phase of the site’s defensive construction and remains standing in consolidated ruinous condition.
Nearby sites
