Domus de Sala-d’Heures: A Medieval Fortified Residence in Santa Eugènia de Berga, Spain

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.santaeugeniadeberga.cat

Country: Spain

Civilization: Medieval European, Modern

Site type: Domestic

Remains: Palace

History

The Domus de Sala-d’Heures, also known as Castell d’Heures, is situated in the municipality of Santa Eugènia de Berga, Spain. This site originated during the medieval period as a fortified residence or small castle, established within the former territory controlled by the nearby Castell de Taradell.

The earliest surviving record referring to the site dates back to 1146. At that time, a local noble named Guillem d’Eures made a donation of land in the parish of Sant Martí Sescorts to the monastery of l’Estany. Within just a few years, the defensive significance of the house was formally acknowledged. A 1148 agreement involving the bishop of Vic and the brothers Guillem and Pere d’Eures established the fortified house’s role as part of the region’s defense system. This pact granted the bishop and the canons the right to enter, exit, and engage in combat within the fortress, revealing a relationship that combined both religious authority and military strategy.

Starting in the late 12th century, the family name d’Eures changed to Rocafort. This transition was followed by another change after Elisenda de Rocafort transferred ownership of the fortress to her husband, Berenguer de Santa Eugènia, in 1225. From that point, the place became associated with the Santa Eugènia name. Over the following centuries, the fortress passed through several other families by means of sales or marriages, including the Dos-rius de Torelló, Sala de Vic, Tallander, Pascual, and finally the Font-coberta families.

The fortification maintained its structural integrity for several centuries, with its distinctive rectangular tower remaining largely intact until 1937, when it eventually collapsed. Before this event, a thorough study and restoration were conducted by architect Josep Gudiol i Cunill in 1910, aiming to preserve its historical features.

The original fortress also suffered damage in 1809 during a conflict with French forces. After this destruction, a new manor house was constructed nearby in the early 20th century, demonstrating a shift from medieval defensive architecture to a more modern residential style.

Religious activity played an important role within the complex, where the chapel of Sant Joan was a key element. This chapel is first mentioned in a testament from 1227 belonging to Elisenda de Rocafort and again in a 1285 will of Pere Marc de Santa Eugènia. For centuries, the chapel served the spiritual needs of the local community until 1934, when religious devotion was transferred to a newly built chapel dedicated to Mare de Déu del Carme. Notably, the chapel of Sant Joan held the relics of Saint Amància, a child martyr from Roman times. These relics, reportedly brought from the catacombs of Rome and given to the local Pascual family by Pope Clement X, remained there for two hundred years before being moved to the new chapel. The chapel underwent restoration in 1920, which involved interior plastering designed to imitate stone blocks, but it was desecrated in 1936. Since then, it has not been used for worship and currently functions as storage space.

Remains

The archaeological remains of the Domus de Sala-d’Heures reveal a complex that combined defensive and religious functions, with constructions predominantly rooted in the Romanesque style of medieval Europe. The layout originally centered on a fortified house with a prominent rectangular tower, supplemented by a chapel and other ancillary structures.

Only a few key elements from the original Romanesque tower have survived to the present day. These include the chapel of Sant Joan itself, two elaborately carved lintels from the front entrance of the tower, and a sculpted tympanum—a semicircular decorative panel above a doorway. The lintels bear Latin inscriptions, which provide valuable insight into the site’s medieval history. The tympanum features an engraved monogram incorporating the Greek letters alpha and omega, symbols traditionally representing the beginning and the end, surrounding a cross, which emphasizes the Christian character of the fortress. These sculptural fragments are preserved inside the so-called new castle, where they are mounted on a south-facing wall close to the modern chapel of Mare de Déu del Carme. The preservation of these pieces is ensured by their status as protected cultural heritage of national importance.

The chapel of Sant Joan is a modest Romanesque building with a simple rectangular plan. Due to the sloping terrain, the chapel is oriented roughly from south to north, which is somewhat unusual for Christian worship spaces typically aligned east-west. Its construction combines large finely cut ashlar blocks with smaller squared stones. Along the south-facing wall, the chapel features a rectangular door topped by a semicircular lintel, typical of Romanesque design, with a round-arched window above it. A bell gable, a structure housing one or more bells, crowns the chapel’s façade. Inside, the chapel currently shelters fragments of worked stones salvaged from the old tower and nearby ruins.

Before the rectangular tower’s collapse in 1937, it stood as a prominent feature of the fortress complex. Although the tower no longer exists, its remnants and associated sculptural elements provide direct evidence of the fortification’s former appearance and craftsmanship.

Nearby the ruins, the new castle was constructed between 1930 and 1934. This building is a modern stone mansion inspired by neo-Romanesque architectural forms and was built alongside the chapel of Mare de Déu del Carme, which replaced the original chapel as a place of worship for the local population. The new castle and chapel stand as a 20th-century reinterpretation of the site’s medieval heritage, situated close to the remains of the earlier structures and incorporating preserved elements from the original fortress.