Sant Salvador's castle

At the peak, it remains a church and a rectangular ground plan that is attached to it. The building is closed by northern and Eastern walls. In the most southern part there is a natural defence. There are 1800 m2 enclosed inside the walls.

The church is Romanesque and the rest of the buildings from the XIII century. It stands out the tower or building with rectangular plan, the walls with seven set flanking towers, alternating from rectangular and semi-circular plan. All the building is walled; even the entry is adapted to the rugged terrain. This structure is a result of the construction methods following the Romanesque style. There are cane remains in the semi-circular arch of the entry tower and the following one.

Outside of the building there is a cistern of 7 m long and 4 m wide, covered by a pointed vault.

Location

The castle is located at the highest peak of the Rodes Mountain chain, at 670 m high. It can be accessed by a small path that leaves next to the entry of the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes.

History

It is first mentioned in 904 as "castrum quod dicunt Verdaria”. In 974 the count Gausfred of Rosselló and Empúries handed it over to the Monastery Sant Pere de Rodes, along other rights and riches. This transfer is confirmed in the papal bulls of 974 and 990, and in a royal decree of 982. A few years later, the count Hug I of Empúries tries to get back the strategically placed castle. This caused the intervention of the pope Benedict VIII.

ln 1279 the church in the castle is mentioned, which was also under the dominion of the Monastery.

In 1283 the count Ponç Hug of Empordà orders to build a castle where there had been the old building. The castle of Verdera was under the dominion of the Empúries County, who had many conflicts with the Sant Pere Abby.

Basic Bibliography

Badia i Homs, Joan; Sant Salvador Castle . Romanesque Catalonia. Empordà II. Fundació Enciclopèdia Catalana. Barcelona. 1999. p. 738-741