Ajuntament de Castellterçol

THE CASTLE OF CASTELLTERÇOL. ARCHAEOLOGY

An archaeological study of the remains of the castle of Castellterçol has been under way since 1983. The aim of the excavation is to determine how the architecture of the castle evolved over time and the use to which different parts of it were put during the period it was occupied. A large proportion of the architectural features which now form part of El Castell farmhouse are in fact surviving remnants of the castle built in the 12th century by Guillem Tedmar. It is a typical fortified noble residence. Its chief architectural features are the walled enclosure, defended by a moat cut into the rock, a central building and a church. While the church of Sant Miquel has been preserved until the present day, other features have been altered (the curtain wall has become the facade of the farmhouse), others have fallen into disuse (the moat) and others have suffered structural degradation (the central building); nonetheless, they all form an essential part of the historical and architectural heritage of Castellterçol.

THE OLD CASTLE

The castle of Castellterçol forms an architectural complex of considerable interest in view of the state of preservation of the features that make it up. Hence it can be said that, in spite of the way it has evolved over the centuries, it represents a typical example of a defensive residence of the high middle ages (11th to 12th centuries) made up of a fortified enclosure, defended by a perimeter curtain wall and a moat.

THE CURTAIN WALL

Almost all the remaining parts of the castle are to be found at the top of the round hillock on which it stands. The castle is defined externally by a polygonal walled enclosure, with an internal area of some 750 square metres. This enclosure, or bailey, which is oriented east-west, is irregular in shape since each of the five stretches of wall stands directly on the natural rock, following the shape of the hill. Several rows of embrasures some 60 cm tall can be seen in the walls, giving it a decidedly fortified look. On the west, the wall is defended by a moat some 6 m wide, cut into the rock, which at the present time is partly filled in.

THE CENTRAL BUILDING

11th-13th centuries
In the centre of this perimeter, which seems to have undergone a number of repairs even in the later middle ages, stands a building with a rectangular ground plan, oriented east-west, whose external dimensions are 15 m by 12 m. The walls, which are 1.4 m thick, retain some 3.5 to 4.5 metres of their original height, except on the west side where the original height of some 10 m has been preserved. As in the walled enclosure, each of the outer walls is pierced by embrasures, 12 on the long sides and 10 on the short sides. The entrance was through a door on the east side.

Even though the archaeological work has shown that this central structure has undergone a number of modifications to its internal distribution, its origins can be dated to the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th.

13th to 15th centuries
During the second half of the 13th century, probably coinciding with the purchase of the castle by the monastery of Santa Maria de l'Estany, a major refurbishment was undertaken, including a redistribution of the internal space. Thus, the large ground-floor room was divided into two, with beamed ceilings supported by pointed diaphragm arches. One of these was used as a wine-cellar, while the other served as a large vestibule, from which stairs at the side led to the first floor.

Probably as a result of the 1448 earthquake, the castle suffered severe damage and repairs were carried out to reinforce the arches that carry the first floor. Although the former internal distribution was not altered, part of the large entrance chamber, now divided into two areas, was used as a kitchen.
At the end of the 16th century, the central building of the castle ceased to be used as a residence and a gradual process of demolition began.

THE CHURCH OF SANT MIQUEL

To the south of the walled area stands the church of Sant Miquel, also known as the sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy. It is a rectangular building roofed with a barrel vault. At the east end there is a semicircular apse, with a half-domed ceiling, lit by a window with a semi-circular arch. According to the earliest documentary evidence, it seems that the church of Sant Miquel was built at the end of the 11th century or beginning of the 12th by Tedmar Mir, as he mentioned in his will. In the modern period, an extension was erected on the south side, and the west end and the campanile were altered.


EL CASTELL FARM HOUSE

In the mid-14th century, when to a great extent the castle no longer served its original purpose, a farmhouse was built between the east curtain wall and the main facade of the central block, which the documents refer to as the Castell Inferior, or Lower Castle, in contrast with the Old, or Upper, Castle.
In the 16th century, a new entrance was made to this farmhouse. This is the existing arched doorway on the east side of the curtain wall, which thus became the main facade. Although the distribution and usage of space has been altered, the basic form of the 14th-16th century farmhouse is preserved in the layout of the ground floor (which is on two levels) and in the diaphragm arches that supported the beamed wooden ceiling of this floor, as well the original door openings. Subsequently, in the 17th-18th centuries, an upper floor was built, creating the architectural arrangement that can be seen today.


THE TOWER

In the 19th century, the Guàrdia family, then the proprietors, built a tall square tower in the centre of the farmhouse. Local tradition has it that it was built in order to obtain a view of the village of Moià.

Text written by the archaeologist Marina Miguel

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