Castell de la Fullola: A Medieval Fortification near Tortosa, Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Crown of Aragon
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page12 sections
History
Castell de la Fullola is a medieval fortification in Spain, located on a small hill in a valley between the Serra de les Moles and the Coll de la Mola, about 12 kilometres northeast of Tortosa. Its tower and associated castle elements are generally dated to the thirteenth century, possibly around 1200, although some parts may be older and could predate the Christian extension of rule into the region.
Foundation and settlement
The earliest references to Fullola belong to the thirteenth century. In 1208, Ramon de Montcada granted Pere Nebot and his followers a settlement charter, a medieval legal instrument for establishing or repopulating a community and defining the rights and duties of its inhabitants. The grant included the castle and territory of Fullola, which the settlers were to populate according to the customs of Tortosa. The charter described a fortified place with a tower, houses, and homesteads.
Ramon de Montcada issued a second settlement charter in 1216, this time in favour of Arnau de Figuerola and the settlers he would establish there. These grants connected the fortification with an organized effort to populate the territory. The medieval community extended beyond the defensive enclosure and included a Gothic church, built in the architectural tradition of the Middle Ages, as well as dispersed houses, some of which may themselves have been Gothic.
Royal and municipal control
During the reign of Jaume I, or James I of Aragon, whose rule accompanied the territorial expansion of the Crown of Aragon, Fullola passed into royal possession. By the fifteenth century, the settlement had been incorporated into the territory of Tortosa. Fullola was recorded as depopulated in the nineteenth century, marking the end of its life as a settled medieval community.
Modern heritage status
In 1988, Castell de la Fullola was designated a Cultural Asset of National Interest in Catalonia and a Spanish Asset of Cultural Interest. These designations recognize the historical and architectural value of the fortification and its associated remains.
Remains
The surviving complex is organized around a tall, slender circular tower and an enclosure containing a walled compound and several subsidiary structures. The walls combine roughly worked stone with rammed earth, a construction technique in which compacted earth is formed into solid wall sections. The enclosure extended about 11 metres south of the tower and possibly 27 metres north of it, while additional wall remains occupy the area between the tower and the surrounding structures.
Fortified tower and enclosure
Circular tower
The circular tower measures approximately 4.5 metres in diameter and 16 metres in height. It probably has a solid base. Its walls are about 1 metre thick at the entrance level, and the rectangular doorway faces west, roughly 5 metres above the outside ground. A flat monolithic lintel, meaning a single stone spanning the opening, caps the entrance. Wooden elements cover the inner part of the doorway, while the jambs are formed from roughly worked stones.
Two narrow loopholes, openings intended for observation or ranged weapons, pierce the southern side of the tower at heights of about 12 and 14 metres. The structure was built with medium-sized, unworked stones laid in courses. Smaller stones, arranged more regularly, appear in the upper section. The tower was probably coated throughout with plaster or render.
Enclosed compound
The tower stood inside an enclosure that included a further walled area made from rammed earth and several ancillary structures. A northern enclosure, built with stone and rammed earth, probably measured about 15 by 15 metres. Only a southern section of its rammed-earth wall survives, extending for approximately 4.5 metres.
Ancillary structures
Western chambers
Two adjoining chambers lie on the western side of the fortification. Together they measure approximately 10.5 metres in length and 5.2 metres in width, and they are partly cut into the bedrock. Their walls consist of courses of roughly worked stone bonded with lime mortar. Further wall remains continue eastward and southward from this area.
Northwestern structure
Several dozen metres northwest of the castle are the remains of a small rammed-earth structure measuring about 3 metres on each side. Its position outside the main enclosure forms part of the wider group of structures associated with Fullola.
Medieval settlement
The settlement extended beyond the castle itself. A Gothic church stood east of the tower, while dispersed dwellings surrounded the fortification. The castle, church, and houses together reflect the physical organization of the medieval community established through the settlement charters.
