Castell de Sant Joan de Lloret: A Medieval Fortress in Lloret de Mar, Spain

Visitor Information

Google Rating: 4.2

Popularity: Medium

Google Maps: View on Google Maps

Official Website: patrimoni.lloret.cat

Country: Spain

Civilization: Unclassified

Remains: Military

History

The Castell de Sant Joan de Lloret is located in the municipality of Lloret de Mar, Spain, and was built by medieval Catalan nobility during the 11th century. The earliest known record of the castle dates back to 1041, when viscounts Guerau and Ermessenda granted the property to Sicardis, the granddaughter of the viscount of Girona and the lady of Lloret. This donation established the castle’s early feudal importance in the region.

In 1079, the chapel of Sant Joan within the castle grounds was consecrated by Bishop Berenguer Guifré of Girona, marking the site as not only a military stronghold but also a religious center. After Sicardis died in 1104, her lands were split between her two sons: Bernat Umbert, who became bishop of Girona, and Bernat Gaufred, recognized as an ancestor of the Palafolls lords. Over the following century, the castle’s ownership gradually transferred to the Cathedral Chapter of Girona, becoming an ecclesiastical lordship confirmed by Bishop Ramon Palafolls in 1217.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the castle saw military action and sustained damage from multiple conflicts. It was partially harmed during attacks involving the French army under King Pere el Gran. Around 1356, a severe assault by a Genoese fleet caused significant destruction. These events were followed by restorations mandated by King Pere el Cerimoniós in the late 14th century, including a legal order in 1378 requiring local residents to contribute to both the repair and defense of the fortress. Further repair efforts took place in the 15th century, likely in response to previous Genoese damage and earthquakes documented between 1427 and 1431.

The 16th century witnessed a gradual decline in the castle’s military role as new strategies rendered such fortresses less critical. During this period, the castle adopted much of its current overall shape but was increasingly neglected. Limited military activity persisted into the early 1600s, shifting mostly to the use of the remaining keep as a lookout point through the 18th century.

By the late 18th century, local residents sought to incorporate the castle into the royal patrimony, offering compensation to the Cathedral Chapter, yet it remained under church control until 1807 despite a 1802 ruling favoring the locals. In 1805, the castle suffered additional damage during bombardment by the British navy amid the Napoleonic Wars. By the 19th century’s start, only the tower survived as a ruin, with further harm inflicted when a British naval shot split the tower during military conflicts. A natural event in 1923, a lightning strike, caused partial collapse of the tower remains.

In 1855, during the desamortización— a process involving the confiscation of church properties by the Spanish state—the castle was taken over by the government and placed under the control of the Ministry of Finance. Mid-20th-century unauthorized excavations in 1964 damaged key parts of the site, including the castle’s base and a medieval grain storage silo, impeding restoration plans. This situation prompted involvement from the Spanish Association of Friends of Castles to protect the site.

Archaeological research from 1965 to 1968, led by Armand de Fluvià, brought renewed understanding of the castle’s remains, allowing detailed mapping and groundwork for restorations. Subsequent digs in 2000 and 2001 uncovered original foundations of the keep and several medieval silos, while confirming the extent of renovations carried out during the 15th and 16th centuries. Restoration efforts in 1989 and 1990 partially rebuilt the keep and the walls once surrounding the enclosure. In the early 21st century, further excavation enabled the castle to be presented as a heritage site reflecting its medieval past.

Remains

The Castell de Sant Joan de Lloret occupies a small hill known locally as Turó des Castell, standing about 60 meters above sea level on cliffs dividing Lloret’s main beach from Fenals beach. The original fortress had a roughly triangular form, encompassing approximately 500 square meters within walls that rose to about five meters in height, creating a distinctive triangular silhouette. Surrounding the enclosure on the interior side was a defensive ditch roughly three meters deep, designed to impede attackers.

At the heart of the castle was a substantial circular keep, or ‘torre mestra,’ measuring around 18 meters tall with an interior diameter of 5.40 meters. The walls of this tower were about 1.35 meters thick, offering strong defensive capability. Both the tower and the curtain walls were constructed from broken stones and unshaped cobbles held together with lime mortar, reflecting typical medieval building techniques for fortifications in the region.

Within the enclosed area stood simple living quarters arranged in quadrangular or trapezoidal shapes. Built from stone and mortar, these structures served as residences for the castle’s lords and their stewards. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the perimeter walls formed a nearly rectangular area, with the northern wall measured at roughly 27 meters in length. This wall met the adjoining two sides at the southern angle anchored by the main tower.

Archaeologists uncovered medieval grain silos, known as ‘sitges,’ within the castle grounds, indicating the storage of food supplies necessary for withstanding sieges or long periods of isolation. The site also originally contained two chapels: the chapel of Sant Joan, consecrated in 1079 and central to the castle’s early religious role, and another dedicated to Santa Llúcia, documented in the early 18th century. The Sant Joan chapel was at some point relocated within the enclosure due to concerns about structural stability.

Today, after periods of ruin and neglect, restoration work completed in the late 20th century reconstructed parts of the keep and sections of the perimeter walls. Before restoration, only fragments of these features remained visible. The castle’s position literally at the edge of the cliffs contributes to its dramatic silhouette and emphasizes its historic defensive purpose overlooking the coastline. Access to the site is from Lloret’s main promenade and adjacent roads leading up to the hill.