Castell de Rupit: A Medieval Fortress in Sant Joan de Fàbregues, Spain
Visitor Information
Google Rating: 4.4
Popularity: Very Low
Country: Spain
Civilization: Medieval European
Site type: Military
Remains: Castle
History
Castell de Rupit stands in the municipality of Sant Joan de Fàbregues, Spain, and was constructed during the medieval period by the feudal nobility of the region. This fortress succeeded an earlier castle, Castell de Fàbregues, which was first recorded in the year 968 and situated within the broad territory of the County of Osona, a domain reestablished by the nobleman Wifred the Hairy at the close of the ninth century.
At the start of the eleventh century, the original Castell de Fàbregues was abandoned, and its lands were divided into two separate jurisdictions. One was centered on the newly established Castell de Rupit, overseeing the nearby parishes of Rupit, Pruit, and Sant Joan de Fàbregues. The other jurisdiction was organized around Castell de Fornils, covering the parishes of Sant Martí and Susqueda. The first recorded mention of Castell de Rupit occurs in 1040, appearing in the will of Bishop-Viscount Eribau, a member of the influential Osona-Cardona family.
For over two centuries, the castle remained under the administration of the Viscounts of Cardona. In 1276, Ramon Folc V de Cardona transferred control to his son Bernat Amat, who later passed it on to his own son, Ramon Amat. Following this, ownership shifted to Ramon Amat’s sister, Sibila, who was married to Ramon Roger II of Pallars. The castle stayed within the holdings of the Counts of Pallars until the year 1369, when Gilabert VI de Cruïlles acquired both Rupit and Fornils through purchase from his nephew, Huguet de Pallars.
In the decades that followed, stewardship of the estate passed through several noble families, including Vilademany and Perapertusa by 1619. Around 1658, the property came into the hands of Benjamin de Bournonville, Marquis of Risbourg. Then, in 1681, King Charles II of Spain granted Antonio de Bournonville the title of Marquis of Rupit. Subsequent marriages linked the estate with the Counts of Aranda and the Dukes of Híjar, further integrating the castle’s legacy into prominent noble lineages.
Though the exact date of the castle’s ruin remains uncertain, records show that Castell de Rupit withstood the Catalan Civil War that took place from 1462 to 1472 under King John II of Aragon. After this period, the fortress gradually vanished from surviving documents. Information on those who managed the castle is scarce; the only notable early record mentions a woman named Guillerma, widow of Anglès de Rupit, and her son Anglès, who may have served as castellans in 1286. No further details about castle leadership appear until the sixteenth century, when Juan de Malart transferred rights over the castle’s keepership to Onofre Olmera.
Remains
The ruins of Castell de Rupit occupy a rocky and uneven outcrop at the heart of the village of Rupit, positioned just behind the local parish church. The village houses cluster tightly around the hilltop, enclosing the castle site and currently limiting access. Archaeological remains reveal an enclosed space of about 300 square meters formed by walls assembled from small but neatly arranged stones.
Among the surviving structures, one wall stands out for its impressive thickness and height. Measuring roughly 5 meters wide, 8 meters tall, and 2 meters deep, this solid barrier is composed of carefully cut stone blocks, or ashlar, laid both lengthwise and crosswise. Uniquely, the wall contains no openings and is built directly atop the rocky base, where an arch-shaped relieving feature helps distribute the structure’s weight over a prominent protrusion in the rock below.
Fragments of additional walls, likely part of the castle’s defensive curtain, extend downward from the main site toward the east and blend into the fabric of the village streets. These walls originally enclosed the upper sovereign area as well as lower subordinate zones, forming the complete fortification complex. Various sections of the perimeter and interior walls still rise at different heights atop the hill, while others have been buried over time beneath both the slope and the houses built at its foot. In fact, some village buildings incorporate parts of the castle’s lower enclosure within their foundations, preserving hidden layers of the fortress’s original defensive boundaries.
Together, the remains include all known components of the castle’s defensive system, such as towers, gateways, moats, and enclosing walls, although many survive only as fragments or buried ruins. This mixture of visible masonry and subterranean relics offers a glimpse into the medieval fortress that once dominated this landscape, bearing witness to centuries of noble occupancy and architectural adaptation.
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