Castell de Milany: A Medieval Fortress in Catalonia, Spain

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Country: Spain

Civilization: Medieval European

Remains: Military

History

The Castell de Milany is located in the municipality of Vallfogona de Ripollès, Spain. This medieval fortress was established by the Catalan civilization, emerging as an important stronghold in the early Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded reference to the castle dates back to 962, while the name “Milany” appears even earlier, in documents from 918. Initially, the castle served as the center of the barony of Milany. Its control shifted among various regional powers, including the County of Osona, the County of Besalú, and the influential House of Barcelona, reflecting the complex political landscape of the region during the medieval period.

In the late 13th century, three main lords claimed rights over Castell de Milany: the monastery of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, the viscount of Bas, and a nobleman named Dalmau de Palau. Dalmau came into possession of the castle through Sibila de Palau, who was married to Count Hug V of Empúries and mother of Ponç Hug IV. During his tenure, Dalmau undertook significant fortification efforts, including the castle’s reconstruction, shaping much of its later medieval form.

The castle’s strategic position and fortifications may have been compromised after a series of earthquakes in the 15th century, which damaged the structure. This vulnerability contributed to its relatively easy capture by the remences—peasants who revolted—during the conflict of 1462. Following this military episode, the fortress appears to have been abandoned.

Ownership of the castle passed through noble hands after its decline as a military stronghold. Joana Estefania de Pinós and Fonollet, viscountess of Illa and Canet, held the property in the post-medieval period. In the 17th century, Francesca de Pinós, a descendant, married Juan Francisco Cristóbal Fernández, Duke of Híjar, linking the castle’s legacy to notable aristocratic families.

Remains

Castell de Milany is situated atop Milany peak at an altitude of 1,529 meters, making it the highest known castle in Catalonia. The castle’s remains reveal a layout organized around a central tower, known as the keep or tower of homage, which likely dates back to the late 13th-century reconstruction under Dalmau de Palau. This tower has a square plan, with walls about 1.6 meters thick enclosing roughly nine square meters of interior space. It was built directly on the bedrock using a construction style that includes opus spicatum masonry, a pattern of stones laid in a herringbone design.

The tower is believed to have had multiple floors supported by vaulted stone slabs bonded with mortar, as indicated by layers of collapsed stone found in archaeological excavations. These studies, conducted between 2011 and 2014, also confirmed that the tower and a northern defensive wall were constructed at the same time, suggesting a carefully planned defensive complex.

Adjacent to the tower are the remains of a rectangular room, excavated in 2013, which is thought to have served as the castle chapel. This space may have been covered by a barrel vault, an architectural form that creates a tunnel-like ceiling, often used in ecclesiastical buildings. Near these structures, a cistern was identified, indicating a source of water storage essential for the castle’s inhabitants.

The castle once included the church of Sant Pere de Milany, which likely functioned as the fortress’s chapel, linking the military and religious aspects of the site. Until the late 1960s, remnants of a vaulted chamber with a pointed roof were still visible, highlighting the Gothic influence in the castle’s later phases.

Surveying and archaeological sondages conducted southwest of the main tower suggest that additional remains extend beyond the currently visible structures, outlining a fortified site that spread in that direction. Today, the castle exists primarily as low stone walls and scattered ruins, bearing witness to both its medieval importance and the effects of time and natural events.