Castell de Selmella: A Medieval Fortress in Pont d’Armentera, Spain

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Official Website: invarquit.cultura.gencat.cat

Country: Spain

Civilization: Unclassified

Remains: Military

History

The Castell de Selmella is a medieval fortress located in the municipality of Pont d’Armentera, Spain. Its origins date from the 11th and 12th centuries, built during the Middle Ages to serve defensive and administrative purposes.

Before the medieval castle was established, the site already held significance in ancient times. Archaeological evidence reveals that the Selmella hill was occupied during the late Bronze Age, around the 10th to 8th centuries BCE, by the Iberian peoples. Further findings indicate the presence of fortifications or dwellings from the early Iron Age, illustrating a long history of human occupation well before the castle’s construction.

The first known reference to the castle appears in a document from 1012. This record describes a legal dispute over its ownership between Hug de Montagut (also known as Hug de Cervelló) and Borrell, the bishop of Vic. The conflict was resolved in favor of Hug de Cervelló. Several years later, in 1018, Hug divided his lands between his four sons, leaving the castle of Selmella to Bonfill, his eldest.

Throughout the 11th to 13th centuries, the Cervelló family retained possession of the castle. In 1178, Guillem Guerau de Cervelló granted the monastery of Santes Creus an emphyteutic lease— a form of long-term tenancy— over the castle. This lease allowed the monastery to manage the property while the family maintained ownership. A secondary branch of the Cervelló line served as castellans, or castle keepers, until that family branch ended in the 13th century.

During the same century, the monastery expanded its control over the area by acquiring additional rights. Key transactions include Ramon Alemany de Cervelló’s 1203 transfer of property to the monastery and the 1256 donation of all remaining rights by Guillem de Selmella. Despite this growing influence, records from 1365 confirm the Cervelló family still held ownership, although the monastery continued to oversee much of the administration.

By the early 16th century, ownership shifted to the Armengol family, who bore the title of barons of Rocafort. The castle remained under their possession until the abolition of feudal jurisdictions in 1837. At that time, the immediate area around the castle consisted of a small, scattered rural population of about seventy inhabitants and was part of the Pont d’Armentera municipality.

The castle appears to have been abandoned in the early 15th century, marking the end of its active role in regional defense and governance.

Remains

The site of Castell de Selmella preserves substantial vestiges of its original medieval structure. The surviving layout demonstrates a first-floor level encompassing key defensive and residential elements characteristic of fortress design from the early Gothic period. The stone construction reflects both military and later domestic adaptations.

Dominating the remains is the defensive tower that once faced the surrounding moat, a crucial feature for monitoring and deterring potential attackers. Much of this tower survives upright, providing insight into its robust construction and strategic placement. Several arrow slits remain visible within the wall sections, offering evidence of the castle’s defensive use during periods of conflict.

The castle’s interior wall arrangements are largely discernible, revealing the original spatial organization of rooms and passageways. These interior layouts suggest that the fortress evolved into a feudal residence that, while maintaining an imposing appearance, functioned more as a noble dwelling than as an actively militarized stronghold during its later phase.

Strategically situated on Selmella hill, the castle commands panoramic views across a broad landscape. From its elevated position, observers could watch north toward the Montserrat and Montseny mountain ranges, eastward to the Mediterranean coast, and south across the vast plain near Tarragona. This vantage point highlights the castle’s role as an advanced fortification, positioned west of the main line of castles along the Gaià river that marked the southern frontier of the Marca Hispánica in the 10th century.

At the base of the castle lies the abandoned village of Selmella. Among its ruins stands a Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Lawrence, likely constructed in the 12th century. This modest religious building retains original Romanesque features despite significant weathering and deterioration over time, providing a tangible link to the medieval community that once thrived alongside the fortress.

Together, these architectural elements collectively illustrate the historical phases of construction, adaptation, and decline that define the Castell de Selmella site. The existing remains offer a window into its transformation from an early medieval military post to a feudal noble residence before its eventual desertion.