A study on the medieval castle of Rocafort expands its history and that of its owners

The Diputación de Barcelona has handed over to the Pont de Vilomara i Rocafort City Council, in Bages, the historical study of Rocafort Castle, from the 11th century and listed as a Cultural Property of National Interest. This historical research provides an important advance on its history and the owners it had.

In addition, it will also be very useful for future excavations and other dissemination actions in the future. The study has been carried out on the basis of exhaustive archival and bibliographical research, such as the collection of the Sant Benet de Bages abbey, as well as two collections of local parchments, from the parish of Santa María de Rocafort and Mas Prat and other documents.

The first documentary news of the castle dates from the year 1023 when it functioned as the center of the lordship of the Rocafort lineage. It would be made up of a circular tower and a cistern, discovered in 2020, and which are cited in a notarial document from 1318. A fortification that was enlarged at the end of the 13th century by means of a building with a large room for the lords of the castle and , possibly with a cellar on the lower level, of which only a standing wall remains.

Through this study, it has also been possible to learn more about the characters of the different families that owned the fortification, from Riculf de Rocafort, who bought the land where the Count of Barcelona, ​​Borrell II, is located in 976.

Guillemona Nerell, who died in 1377, left the castle to the monastery of Sant Benet de Bages so that a house of monastic life could be installed. This did not happen and this fact led to the abandonment of the castle. During modern times, the surroundings of the castle were credit for orchards and the waste from this was used to build the houses of the farmers who worked these lands.

In addition, it has been possible to document the remains of the temple of Sant Vicenç in the year 1066, which was the private chapel of the Rocafort family. In addition, documents have been found on the existence of houses with orchards of at least four streets. Also the names of some of the inhabitants of the area at the foot of the valley of the catillo, named Sagrera in medieval times.