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The Subirats castle is a splendid viewpoint of the Penedès and the Montserrat mountains. It stands 300 meters above the plain in a very good strategic location.
A long history is hidden behind the walls of the castle, the protagonist today in La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos. In fact, from this historical enclave you can glimpse the history of Catalonia during the turbulent centuries of the reconquest.
It was one of the first castles built at the beginning of the 10th century when Sunyer, count of Barcelona, began the conquest of the Penedès from the Saracens.
It was a key point in the defense of the border of the Penedès Mark. It is the most advanced Christian fortress in a territory under constant Muslim threat. But once the enemy border retreats to the south, the castle will have other specific functions according to the political, economic and social circumstances that come with the new changes.
The border castle, with an imposing tower 19 meters high and the Romanesque church of Sant Pere del Castell, today Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Holy Font, is the testimony of the stories that are hidden until the fortification survived , ended the War of the Reapers in the 17th century. It was declared a Historic Heritage Site of Spain in 1988.
There is no doubt that the castle has an antiquity that goes beyond ten centuries, since in a date as remote as the year 917 appears the concession made in the monastery of Sant Cugat del Vallès by the brothers Ermenard and Udalard, sons of the late Udalard. Ermenard was then Viscount of Barcelona and son of Viscount Udalard, for the reason that the Viscounts of Barcelona were entrusted with the Penedès border.
It is necessary that we observe the word "residents" and the expression "propo Penetese territory". Firstly, the residential character that the Subirats castle had for Ermenard and brother Udalard, located in the territory of Barcelona beyond the Llobregat river; and, for the second, we infer that Subirats was next to Penedès, but was not included, the latter tells us in the criterion that the name Penedès should be applied, from the beginning, in the Olèrdola sector.
The "Kastrum de Subirads" faced, in 963, the terminus of the Masquefa castle, since this is stated in the sale of this castle made, in 963, in Enyeo called Bonfill.
After the invasion of Barcelona by al-Mansur, Sendereo and his wife (Adelaide) granted the Sant Cugatense monastery, in May 986, a "land in chomitatum Barch, in the term of Kastrum Subirads, in locum that Munistrol says", reasonably, it is from the current Monistrol de Anoia, a town located 3 kilometers from Sant Sadurní de Anoia.
Sendred was already dead when, in February 992, the castle of Cervelló was sold by the counts of Barcelona to his son Ènyeg dit Bonfill; the term of "Subiratus" is mentioned, in the writing of the operation.
The "Kastrum Subirados strada que pergido de Subirados ad ipsa Vide" reappear documentary in 999, in another donation, made by Ermenardo, in the monastery of Sant Cugat. Etymologically, it seems that the place name Subirats offers no problem. Monistrol of Anoia was from this term in 1004; also, in 1035, in 1043, 1060, etc.
By the way, as is expressed in these last mentions, in the allode of Sant Cugat, where Monistrol is said, we can believe, with a good chance of guessing it, that the name of Monistrol is a consequence of the dominion exercised by the Valladolid monastery.
In 1092, in a sale of vineyards there is an allusion to the term of "Kastrum Subirads, in the appendix of Munistrolio, which is from s. Cucuphati monastery." We infer the specific character of Monistrol from the mention, in 1058, as limits, of "Gelide et Subirati et Munistrolis", retouched, in a writing four years later, by the form "terminio de Munistrol sive de Subirads" as rub of the castle of Piera, and resurfaced, in 1063, with an apparently castellerian tone: "in terminis castri Gelide te de Munistrol te de Subirads".
The signature of "Arnallis Mironis de Subirads" appears in several documents from 1072. Arnau Mir was the son of the magnate who around the year 1040 was titled prince of Olèrdola, that is, of the famous Mir Geribert. With this, we focus on the property of Subirats Castle itself.
Certainly, this castle was the domain of the restless Mir Geribert. In a will of Mir Geribert, from 1060, there is a donation to "sanctum Petrum de castro Subirads" and it is clearly reported on this possession, along with half of the castle of Lavit.
On July 25, 1152, an exchange was established between the brothers Bernat and Pedro de Santa Eugenia, on the one hand, and the wife and children Raimon and Pedro de Subirats on the other, by which they gave up what they owned in the area of the castle. of Subirats, in the parish of Lavern, and "sacto Marie de Castello, sanctico Pauli de Ordali" and the latter handed over their properties from the castle of Montbui.
It can be seen that the Santa Eugenia family had become infected in this sector of Penedès. In 1166, the seneschal Guillermo Ramón de Moncada and his son Ramón entrusted the guarding of the Horta castle in Pere de Subirats and on December 4, 1167, the last will of Ramon de Subirats was executed.
Said subject, married to "Adaleidi", due to his dispositions allows us to discover the connection of the Subirats with the Sant Martí who we have placed as lords of this castle. The connection turns out to be, therefore, that of Castilian or feudatory.
Guillem de Bell-lloc, in the test, in 1172, put the Castles of Bell-lloc, la Roca, Montornés, el Faro, Mataró, Montbui, Tagamanent, Foix, Font-rubí and Subirats. Guillem bequeathed the castles of Subirats, Font-rubí and Foix to his brother Bernat de Bell-lloc.
Guillem de Subirats was the monarch's feudatory in 1291. Then, the parishes of San Pedro de Subirats, San Pablo de Ordal, San Pedro de Lavern and Sant Sadurní de Subirats, later, of Anoia, were included in the term of same castle
Guillem de Peguera and his wife Elisenda were, on May 20, 1295, lords of the castle of Subirats. It is more convenient to accept that he became lord of the castle Berenguer de Vilaragut since this number appeared at the same time as the owner of the castle of Sant Martí Sarroca.
Vilaragut, being a widower with a daughter, Violant (married, in 1347, to King James III of Mallorca), and lord of the two aforementioned castles, married Saura de Mallorca, widow of Pedro Galcerán I de Pinoso, and mother of Pedro Galcerán II de Pinoso, and the marriage resided, in 1324, in the castle of Subirats. The men of the town of Bagà were alarmed by the rumor that the son of Pere Galceran I de Pinós had married the daughter of Vilaragut.
In 1334, King Peter the Ceremonious promised the University of Subirats non-alienation from the Crown. The firing of 1358 refers to the heirs of Ramón de Riussec, regarding this castle. The fire of 1365-1370 establishes that the castle of Subirats belonged to Berenguer de Abella, butler and advisor to the infante Joan.
On March 10, 1368, King Pedro the Ceremonious gave the infante Martí (the future Martí l'Humà), among other belongings, the villa of Piera and the Castles and places of Subirats and Sant Martí Sarroca, with the condition that if he became king they would return to the sovereign, but not that they would survive as a woman.
The nobleman Ramon Alamany de Cervelló obtained this castle in 1377. From the chapel of San Juan de Subirats we find several news such as the license given, in 1325, to Berenguer de Corbins, to have a grave, with the character of suffragancy of Sant Pere de Subirats .
Historical documents from the 10th century speak of the castle as part of the Penedès defensive system. It was later expanded in several stages. Its well-known keep was probably built in the 11th century.
The historians A. Mauri and M. Soler point out that it was probably demolished during the War of the Reapers, 1640-1652, when it was taken by D. Pedro Fajardo, Marquis of the Vélez around the year 1641. Of this imposing complex, which It occupied the entire summit, only part of the eastern wall, the construction called bastion and the main core remain standing.
On March 10, 1368, King Peter the Ceremonious gave the infant Martin (the future Martin the Human), among other belongings, the town of Piera and the castles and places of Subirats and Sant Martí Sarroca, with the condition that if he arrived to be king they returned to the sovereign, but not that they survived as a woman. The nobleman Ramon Alamany de Cervelló obtained this castle in 1377.
King Ferdinand the Catholic, on December 10, 1493, declared the term of Subirats incorporated into the Crown, by him and his successors, for when the place was cleared, for 30,000 salaries and in 1498 Miquel Joan Gralla was recognized as lord. from the castle and town of Subirats.
On February 4, 1513, sovereign Ferran sold the censuses, tasks, land, etc., of this castle to the Gralla. It is recorded, dated May 21, 1515, that the vassals of Miquel Joan Gralla, with their own money, had redeemed themselves from feudal jurisdiction.
However, on March 22, 1521, King-Emperor Charles sold the civil and criminal jurisdictions of the Subirats castle to Miquel Joan Gralla.
With dates December 27, 1553 (being prince of Asturias and Girona) and July 13, 1559 (being king), Philip (II of Spain) confirmed the privilege of December 10, 1493.
On October 26, 1568, the Countess of Aitona, heir to her father Francesc Gralla i Desplà, had a certain monetary amount given to her by the inhabitants on behalf of the university of Subirats and parishes; so that they continued to be absolutely subject to royal jurisdiction.
Four days later, it was stated that by the Royal ruling of the Court the reinstatement, to the Crown, of the house, castle, term and jurisdiction, with reservation of the right in the house-castle and castles, for the price of 1,795 pounds, having paid, in addition to these, the University of Subirats.
The castle was demolished in the War of the Reapers, by the Marquis of the Vélez. By the royal sentence of November 27, 1699, it was declared that there were no more universal decimators of the university and the parishes of Subirats than the Crown.
The church of Sant Pere del Castell de Subirats is a building with a single nave, covered with a pointed vault and pointed arches. The semicircular apse is half excavated in the rock.
The portal on the south façade was added in the restoration of the 1970s on the old baroque portal and imitates the Romanesque style with archivolt and sculpted capitals. It has two side chapels, attached to both sides in the 18th century.
The bell tower is made of belfry, with two arches, and looks half-finished after the Baroque period completion was removed. Sarcophagus in the shape of a parallelepipedic box measuring 2.40 meters long by 0.60 meters wide.
It is fragmented into several pieces and appears to be, probably, an emptied Roman milestone because at one end it has a sculpted face that is difficult to interpret as a sarcophagus.
It was found full of human remains from a relatively recent period, so it is believed that it was reused at different times.
The church of Sant Pere appears documented since the year 917, the date when it was dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint Peter and Saint John. It was a parish in the municipality of Subirats until 1930, when it was converted into a sanctuary of the Virgin of Fontsanta, because in 1726 the image that was venerated in the chapel at the Salut fountain, at the foot of the castle, had been moved.
The building was built in the 12th-13th centuries and in the 17th century some baroque additions were made. Sarcophagus. This sarcophagus was found two meters deep when work was being done on the left side of the entrance to the church in a place used as a cemetery from time immemorial.
The first documentary evidence regarding the existence of this church could date from 917, as long as the reference to a church of Sant Pere that appears in a donation made by the brothers Ermenard and Odalard to the monastery of Sant Cugat is interpreted as referring to she.
In any case, the temple appears safely documented on October 17, 1030, in the will of Ermengarda (daughter of Count Borrell II of Barcelona and widow of Viscount Geribert), which includes various legacies expressly destined for the consecration of the church of Santa Maria de Lavit and the completion of the works on the head of the church of Sant Pere in the castle of Subirats (ipso caput de ipsa ecclesia).
The temple is a simple construction, made up of a single nave and an apse with a semicircular interior and rectangular exterior, sitting directly on the rock on the southeast side. A change in layout can clearly be seen in it, which seems to indicate the existence of an apsidal structure prior to the Romanesque one, partly incorporated into it.
Covered with an oven vault, the apse basin presents the Church of Sant Pere Bibliography Catalunya Romànica, 1984-1998, XIX, pp. 194-195. There is a loophole with a simple opening in its center, as well as a semicircular arch niche on its northern side, above which a small rectangular window with a simple opening opens. A semicircular triumphal arch separates the apse from the nave, which is covered with a pointed barrel vault.
Located inside the Subirats castle and formerly known as the church of Sant Pere del Castell, the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de la Fontsanta is one of the best preserved examples of this monumental complex.
It is located in the foothills of the Serra de l'Ordal and was an important strategic point in the defense of the Hispanic brand in the Penedès area.
The sanctuary, with a construction process that dates back to the dates of the castle documented from the beginning of the 10th century, is located on a lower level of the fortress and is dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint Peter and Saint John.
In 1726 it became the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de la Fontsanta, due to the transfer of the baroque image with this name.
In this sanctuary, several elements stand out, such as the current image in reconstruction of the old one, the ancient sedimented rock of the Via Augusta (very close), the presbytery, probably related to Iberian times, the castle nave and the Columbari d'en Pasteurs.
